Local tertiary sector and Christchurch NZ in career conference collab

_{The Ara-Te Pūkenga team look forward to connecting with delegates at the conference}

Ara-Te Pūkenga, UC, Lincoln University and Christchurch NZ have joined forces to make the most of 700 careers educators descending on Ōtautahi for their annual conference.

It’s the first Careers and Transition Education (CATE) Association gathering nationally since 2019 after construction delays with the Te Pae conference centre and the pandemic saw two events postponed.

Ara-Te Pukenga Manager – Youth and Community Development Mark Simons said the event is a great chance to show off the region to those who support rangatahi around Aotearoa in making decisions about where they might study when they leave school.

“We want to ensure they are singing our praises and encouraging their learners to choose Christchurch as a tertiary destination. Hopefully after that, they’ll choose to stay in the city to live and work and contribute towards making it an even better place to be,” Simons said.

_{Visitors swarmed the ‘Yes You Canterbury’ booth}

Delegates were clearly captured by the prominent and vibrant stand put together by the city’s tertiaries who are partner hosts of the conference, alongside Christchurch NZ.

The Ara-Te Pūkenga design team took the lead on building the partnership’s identity with Tamsyn Black, an Ara graduate, conceptualising the “Yes You Canterbury” idea and Christchurch NZ providing the imagery.

Christchurch NZ Talent Specialist Karen Haigh said they’re well-practiced at teamwork on events with one example the Power Up Careers Expo held to support those whose employment was affected by the pandemic.

“We regularly work together for the good of the city whether it be on marketing, running expos and events or developing pathway programmes for rangatahi into our growth industries,” Haigh said.

“It’s one of the great things about Christchurch and Canterbury – we’re closely connected.”

Haigh hopes delegates have their hearts and minds opened. “I’d say forget what you think you know about Christchurch – our new city is vibrant and offers loads of career opportunities. Plus, you can surf, ski, hike, mountain bike all within 90 minutes of the city!”

Simons agreed promoting the region as a great place to study was an ‘easy sell’. “There are benefits in terms of lower cost of living, housing availability, it’s brand new and vibrant, and many industry sectors are choosing to make Christchurch their homebase,” he said.

Career advisors from around the country said they were in Christchurch to get informed and inspired.

Yvette Storey, Careers & Pathway Coordinator from Coromandel Area School said it was her first time in the city and the experience would help her messaging to students. “Being here you can visualise it. You might have kids you think yeah, you could thrive in that environment,” she said.

Wellington-based delegate Blair Stewart says Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (Correspondence School) students are from all over Aotearoa and often rurally based, so it’s good to be up to date with providers in the sector.

“‘Being able to give students something concrete to think about is where I’m at and why I’m here. Our students are often looking for opportunities for hands-on work and study,” he said.

Other careers advisors noted the importance of networking and simply ‘hanging out’.

“This is the first opportunity in three years to connect,” said Heather Miller, Career Pathways Advisor from St Catherine’s College in Wellington. “I’ve been feeling a bit lost so it’s good to catch up.”

Simons said that goes both ways.

“Our team have been unable to travel the country to promote Ara-Te Pūkenga due to Covid, so being able to network with advisors from schools around Aotearoa is fantastic – and also build our knowledge around the needs and drivers in the sector,” he said.

With crowds milling around the “Yes You Canterbury” booth, it seems both delegates and local providers are making up for lost time.