Presentation to youth engagement seminar hosted by Careers New Zealand in Whangarei, 9th MArch 2012

1. The challenge of youth
engagement
9 March 2012
Dale Bailey
Area Manager Northern

2. Youth disadvantage
• Is this the worst
time in
generations
to be a young
person?

3. United Nations World Youth Report
• “Young people are, in general, more conscious
of global issues like climate change and social
equity. I think that promotion of green
economies among youth is a winning solution.”
MICHAEL, 23 YEARS OLD, ITALY, WORLD ESPERANTO
YOUTH ORGANIZATION
• “Instead of training young people to seek jobs,
they should train students to create jobs.”
BWENJE, UGANDA
• “The most important thing is to not give up and
learn new things every day.”
YANIRA, 29 YEARS OLD, MEXICO
• “We want to make a difference. We want a
chance to work. We want to prove ourselves.”
NAVJOT Kenya.

4. A complex set of transitions

5. Young Foundation 2011
• ‘Labour market, organisational
forms and employment
structures and patterns have
shifted, requiring a new type of
workforce with new types of
skills to adapt to new
technologies, new competitors,
new economic realities and the
rapid pace of change’

6. Youth Unemployment
12%
of our young people are
NEET
» Source: Salvation Army State of the
Nation February 2012

7. Pasifika youth unemployment
43%
of Pacific teens
aged 15-19 years
"Unless these young people have
skills, it will be very difficult for them
to compete for employment, so we
need to be investing in those skills,"
Hekia Parata, Minister of Pacific Island Affairs &
Minister of Education
Source: One News, Sunday 4 March 2012

8. "It's real hard because they are
looking for so much, they are
looking for experienced workers,
they are looking for qualifications”
young job seeker Sitivi Pulepule
Source: One News Sunday 4 March 2012

9. “… the young of today have been
portrayed as a bunch of spoiled
slackers, who've been so coddled
and indulged by their spineless
parents that they effectively refused
to grow up ...”
Tapu Misa, columnist, New Zealand Herald
20 February 2012

10. “...nice theory, but, as always, the
truth is a little more complex. What
is becoming abundantly clear is that,
far from the easy ride portrayed in
the media, this generation is facing
unprecedented challenges on the
way to adulthood.”
Tapu Misa, columnist, New Zealand Herald
20 February 2012

11. “Some of the injustices and dire
situations our young people are
facing in today’s world are
tantamount to crimes toward our
young people themselves”
A snapshot of our young people
Salvation Army’s The Growing Divide - state of the nation report
February 2012

12. What motivates young people?
• Systemic success (qualifications, jobs, income)
• Subjective satisfaction (experience of recognition and
motivation)
• Well being and fulfillment
• Giving back to society
• Identity independence and autonomy
• Social integration
• Social mobility
» Source: Young Foundation ‘The Way to work’ 2011

13. What are the most important things?

14. Tracks to adulthood
“Young people do make
choices, they decide what
to do in relation to what has
already happened in their
lives and in relation to their
future plans and
aspirations.
However, their choices are
situated biographically and
socially”
Tracks to Adulthood
New Zealand Council of Educational Research (2011)
Dr Lesley Patterson

15. What might careers offer?
• Dialogue between
learner and teacher
• Motivational and
inspirational
• Opportunity to see
relevance of studies
• Student-teacher
partnerships

16. “The lifelong process of managing
learning, work, leisure and
transitions in order to move towards
a personally determined and
evolving future.”
[Canadian] National Steering Committee
for Career Development Guidelines and Standards, 2004

17. From advice to competency

18. Use this slide for
images and diagrams
More engaged in education and
work, through having a deeper
knowledge about themselves.

19. Future Work Skills: 2020
• Sense making
• Novel and adaptive thinking
• Social intelligence
• New media literacy
• Computational thinking
• Cognitive load management
• Cross cultural competency
• Design mindset
• Virtual collaboration

20. 2020: jobs in decline
1. Word processors/typists
2. Data entry keyboard operators
3. Miscellaneous Agricultural workers
4. Cooks - fast food
5. Postal service clerks
6. Switch board operators/answering
services
7. Mail carriers
8. Sewing machine operators
9. Mail sorters
10. Farmers ranchers, agricultural managers
Source: US Department of Labour

21. Dale.Bailey@careers.govt.nz