Work and higher education package for young Pacific people
23 December 2010
FOUR agencies with track records in motivating, training and matching people to jobs will be working together in a new approach to sustainable employment and/or higher education for hundreds of young Pacific people in Auckland.
Starting early next year the four will collaborate to provide a service which identifies the needs of and best fit for each participant, then walks them through a tailored programme which includes literacy and numeracy training, communication and interview skills, career counselling and planning, coaching and support, and job, apprenticeship or higher education opportunities.
The Pacific Employment Support Services (PESS) project, implemented and managed by the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs, involves the C-Me Mentoring Foundation Trust, Crosspower Ministries Trust, In-Work New Zealand Ltd and SENZ Charitable Trust.
Nearly seven hundred Pacific 16 - 25-year-olds will benefit from these services over the next two years. The project is being funded with part ($2.3 million) of a $4.8 million allocation over four years, new funding announced in Budget 2010. This reflects Government’s priorities to lift incomes and living standards for Pacific people, with particular reference to Auckland.
“It’s great to have the opportunity to do this,” Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs chief executive Colin Tukuitonga says.
“Young Pacific people with few qualifications or skills don’t fare so well in a recession and recent unemployment figures bear this out. So having the funding to target some of these young people in a programme which helps get them to get higher education, jobs or, in some cases, better jobs is very good news.”
“It’s good not only for Pacific communities but for New Zealand. When you consider that one in every four babies born in Auckland now is of Pacific descent then clearly young Pacific people will make up more of the future workforce. Helping their employment prospects has to benefit us all.”
The PESS package was put together after a two-stage competitive process which initially drew interest from 27 providers. Nine of these were invited to put forward more detail, and the four involved in the scheme were then asked to build on their individual proposals and come up with a collaborative package.
“It’s taken a while to get here but given the money involved we wanted to make sure we ran a robust process, and secured the best possible value,” Dr Tukuitonga said.
ENDS
For more information contact:
Frances Ross,Chief Advisor Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs Tel: 04 471 8238 / 027 672 3501
For information on PESS agencies contact: John Kotoisuva, Chief executive C-ME Mentoring Foundation Trust Tel: 09 270 4071 / 021 288 8241
Pacific Employment Support Services: frequently asked questions.
How long are the contracts for?
The four contracts will start from 1 January 2011 and be for two-year periods.
How many Pacific youth will take part?
Nearly 700 Pacific youth in Auckland aged between 16 and 25 will benefit from these services over two years.
When will the programme(s) be available?
The providers expect to be able to start recruiting in January.
How were these providers chosen?
Given the amount of money available the Ministry opted for a competitive process in line with Government procurement policy. Each of the providers satisfied a Ministry-chaired independent assessment panel of their ability to provide the sorts of services which would make a difference to young Pacific people looking for work or higher education. As they can each draw clients from a slightly different base the panel decided to ask them to collaborate to give a spread of clients, skills, expertise and services.
You have two Pacific providers, and two mainstream. Why?
The assessment panel was not able to find the full range of services being sought in any one provider. This combination was identified as providing the best mix of skills and expertise for clients. Each provider brings complementary strengths and they have agreed to work together collaboratively.
How many expressions of interest were there?
Twenty-seven providers initially expressed interest. Of these nine went forward to a second stage and submitted detailed proposals.
Who was on the assessment panel?
The assessment panel included representatives from Te Puni Kokiri, the Tertiary Education Commission, the Ministry of Social Development, Pacific businesses and Pacific communities.
Why do you call this an innovative approach?
The funding for this project is new: delivered in Budget 2010. The approach is innovative in several ways: in the collaboration amongst providers; in the range of places from which clients will come – from colleges to unemployed youth at risk; in its approach - effectively individual case-management with 10 hours of pastoral care for some services and support for clients and their families; and in the range of workskills and lifeskills training it makes available. For more on the specifics see the attached information on each provider.
Where will clients come from?
C-Me Mentoring Foundation Trust draws clients from trades courses at secondary school, CrossPower Ministries from at-risk youth at school, work and unemployed, SENZ works with unemployed young people as well as those at school or working and In-Work draws clients from the community who are not in education , employment and /or training.
How much money is there?
Budget 2010 provided $4.8 million for new service funding over four years. $2.3 million is being spent in the next two years.
How will you know it is working?
Each provider is required to report every three months and annually. Providers will meet together monthly and also quarterly with the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs as part of a continuous quality improvement process. The Ministry will also undertake an independent evaluation after 18 months.
Will the evaluations be made public?
The Ministry will make the results of the final evaluation publicly available.
What happens after the first two years?
The independent evaluation at eighteen months will help inform what services are bought in the following years.
The money was originally specified for an organisation called PEDA. What happened?
Peda submitted an expression of interest in the first round but it did not meet the criteria. However it is acknowledged that it was Peda’s advocacy for young Pacific people that led to the money being appropriated for this work.
What proportion of the money will go into overheads/infrastructure costs rather than services for clients?
Approximately 14 percent has been earmarked to assist providers with service implementation and administration costs. This includes for example staff recruitment, project management, communications material, IT costs etc. This is a core component of setting up and delivering high-quality and effective services.
What’s the evidence to suggest this approach will work?
Research reviewing the effectiveness of labour market programmes for young people suggests that a “whole of community” approach is beneficial where existing support structures can nurture young people. This work also highlights that best practice involves a combination of forms of assistance including training, strong links with the local labour market, case management, support and mentoring. The importance of high quality relationships between providers, local communities and local employers and the Ministry’s service involving four closely linked providers responds to this and includes links with communities and local employers. [1]
[1] Higgins, J. (2003). Labour market programmes for young people: A review. Ministry of Social Development. The information referred to in a chapter about employment assistance for youth of indigenous and ethnic minority populations, pp. 35 – 40.
