Background papers for the 1999 Manawatu Employment Summit

PALMERSTON NORTH LOCAL EMPLOYMENT
CO-ORDINATION GROUP

Employment in our community is a critical issue that needs action and results.

Employment is an issue over which "no one is in charge". Nationally driven solutions are no longer sufficient on their own and there is a new awareness of the need for responsive local solutions. We need to reflect local needs and initiatives within the regional context.

Co-ordinating the efforts of local organisations is a critical contribution to making change on the employment issue. Key players tend to see the problem differently - government, community, business, and individuals - and each offer different solutions to the problem. Effective co-ordination needs all key local organisations to be involved.

A local employment strategy will provide direction for local employment creation and promotion.

The Palmerston North Local Employment Co-ordination group mission is to pursue employment and economic development to enable those who reside in Palmerston North and the Manawatu access meaningful work and income opportunities. This implies that we develop strategies to enhance the work opportunities for both the long-term unemployed as well as increasing the opportunities for the development of employment opportunities in the local economy.

1. To develop strong links between local government, business, government agencies and community to maximise local opportunities for employment.

2. To integrate employment objectives with economic development strategies.

3. To promote the assistance and development of small and medium sized businesses.

4. To develop new partnerships in the community for economic development with employment growth.

5. To promote and facilitate community employment development initiatives.

6. To improve the linkages between job seeker servicing organisations, training providers, and employers to establish appropriate courses with employment outcomes.

7. To facilitate the provision of "stepping stones" into employment for unemployed people.

8. To promote the delivery of effective employment services to unemployed people.

9. To promote the generation and dissemination of relevant information that will enhance employment development.
10. To promote the adoption by local businesses of socially responsible employment practices.

1. To develop strong links between local government, business, government agencies and communities to maximise local opportunities for employment.

• Develop a shared culture of collaboration and co-operation amongst agencies concerned with employment outcomes.
   
• Facilitate consultation and involvement.
   
• Share information through the Local Employment Co-ordination network and other forums.
   
• Promote co-operative relationships for economic and employment growth.

1. Facilitate the brokering of joint ventures between employment focussed agencies.
2. Form, where appropriate, protocols that will promote co-ordination between employment focussed agencies (such as in the sponsorship arrangement between NZES and the EMA).

• Promote a secure and supportive environment for local businesses to enhance the likelihood of their staying.
   

• Develop specific employment oriented goals and strategies
   
• Support economic development strategies which boost employment in the local economy
   
• Explore how economic development strategies can incorporate specific employment objectives.

1. Promote and support local manufacturing industries that add value to exports instead of selling unprocessed raw materials particularly those that will lead to increasing employment opportunities
2. Emphasise comparative advantage and need for positive branding of city and region.

• Facilitate job placement and economic development by assisting education and training providers to deliver relevant courses that are linked to future growth areas in the local economy.

• Explore how to avoid technical skill shortages - computer skills, welding skills, and technical-engineering skills

• Promote ongoing investment in infrastructure development in Palmerston North and the Manawatu.
   
• Promote the adoption of a regional perspective (the economic and employment fortunes of Palmerston North and the Manawatu are closely inter-linked).
   
• Promote investment in the local economy.

• Explore the establishment of a regional employment and economic development fund to seed local business development and employment initiatives..

• Constantly explore ways to exploit employment opportunities from the key industries (e.g. education and research activities) in the region.

• Target those sectors with potential for employment growth (eg rural tourism, education).

• Promote advocacy at a national level for policies that will enhance the development of regional economies.
   
• Develop initiatives to lift the morale of businesses in the Palmerston North and Manawatu.
   
• Facilitate the investigation of employment development from the use of underutilised assets (available local resources) in the Palmerston North and the Manawatu (e.g. Windows of Opportunity proposal).
   

• Promote an adequate infrastructure for the support of small and medium sized businesses.

1. Further the existing strategies aimed at providing advisory, support and training services for small and medium sized businesses (such as those provided by the Palmerston North Enterprise Board).
2. Advocate for the improvement of information and advice services for small businesses and promote greater coverage and improvements in the quality information provided.

• Revisit the Business Grow programme as a way of promoting grassroots business development.

• Encourage small and medium sized businesses to use those services that are available.

• Develop strategies that improve employer access to opportunities to become better educated, informed and skilled in the employment process.

• Publicise and otherwise promote successful enterprise and innovation that leads to sustainable employment growth.
   
• Explore the potential for establishing an ethical investment initiative, at a community level, to provide funds to support employment and business initiatives.
   
• Explore ways to make it easy for small and medium businesses to provide on-the-job training

• Integrating job placement and education and training programmes in a way that will provide real assistance to small businesses.
   

• Promote community support for local businesses by endorsing "buy local" campaigns.
   
• Encourage local employers to employ local people.

• Identify, highlight and promote as models, successful businesses that are employing local people - noting benefits of using and developing the region's expertise and skills.

• Encourage local businesses and business people to actively participate in employment enhancing activities in the community.

1. Explore Rotary Club (and other service club) member mentoring/coaching of small business operators and unemployed.
2. Develop sports coaching initiatives using people with middle management skills who are on the unemployment register to work as coaches at schools and sports clubs.
3. Explore ways of combining community work and job placements to support small and medium businesses, eg volunteering and work experience.
    

• Support local community initiatives and projects that contribute to employment creation.
   
• Provide education workshops on community economic development.

• Promote events that encourage entrepreneurial thinking and the development of new initiatives.

• Promote assistance for communities and neighbourhoods to identify their development needs and produce neighbourhood resource plans.
   
• Work with communities to assist with the applications for, and administration of, funding for employment projects - offering financial and administrative support for employment focused community initiatives.
   
• Promote and advocate the development of Marae and Tangata Whenua based industry and business initiatives.

1. Set up a process of consultation through which government agencies indicate how they can contribute to economic and employment development.
2. Assist communities to assess alternative land use potentials in local areas.

• Facilitate support and acceptance of new migrant - culturally diverse - businesses.

• Identify the benefits of using and building on the experience and skills that cultural diversity brings.
   

• Promote co-ordination between training providers and industry to address skills gaps.

1. Promote assessments of skills requirements in the local economy (e.g. in manufacturing, retail).
2. Promote timely training interventions to meet skill demands.

• Facilitate the development of skill-training programmes in schools (or other education and training providers) that link to industry.

1. Support the development of entrepreneurial skills programmes in schools.
2. Promote the provision of opportunities for youth to gain a work culture while still at school.
3. Ensure access to "life skills" courses, core employment skills courses (eg drivers' licenses, customer services), and motivational courses.

• Facilitate growth in the provision of on-the-job training opportunities.

1. Work at removing barriers to on-the-job training, and at providing special supports for businesses that provide such training.
2. Explore the creation of group training schemes whereby organisations already running training programmes train unemployed people and lease them out in growth industries.

• Target job placement programmes to major employers.

• Promote the formation of contracts or partnerships between job placement agencies and major local employers.

• Facilitate pro-active re-training assistance, prior to redundancy, to assist workers respond to business retrenchment.

• Assist with re-training while people are still in jobs, so they avoid the risk of unemployment and redundant skills.

• Facilitate the provision of lifelong learning and appropriate courses for older workers who have difficulty in re-entering training.
   

• Promote the provision of entry level employment that prepares workers for and connects them to future opportunities.
   
• Promote the development of employment initiatives that "staircase" unemployed into secure employment.

1. Promote benefit flexibility to allow community groups and small businesses to staircase unemployed people into a real job through a Training Allowance, then Community Task Force and then Job Plus.
2. Promote networking between agencies to allow "stair-casing".

• Identify and remove barriers to local people taking up job opportunities in growth areas.
   
• Revisit the issue of the local provision of subsidised employment for long-term unemployed.
   
• Facilitate access to the range and availability of education and training opportunities in Palmerston North.

• Ensure availability of transport for those in outlying rural towns.

• Promote recognition that entry into further education and training is a valid outcome from entry-level courses in Palmerston North.
   

• Promote the ongoing improvement of employment, training and income services to unemployed people.
   
• Advocate that all job seeker services be available to all job seekers, ie career guidance, job search counselling and advice, job placement and support, notification of vacancies.
   
• Facilitate the creation of customer focus groups to give feedback on Work and Income Agency services, procedures and effectiveness.
   
• Ensure access to information about entitlements to assistance for unemployed and disadvantaged communities.
   
• Facilitate the voice of unemployed people.
   
• Supporting the development of a resource centre for unemployed people and beneficiaries.

• Support the development of a non-government, Job Support Centre.

• Promote the extension of post job-placement support programmes.

1. Develop a job-coaching programme to provide on-the-job support for long term unemployed placed in employment.
2. Develop job club programmes.
3. Explore possibilities for an employer coaching programme to assist them with the employment of long-term unemployed.

• Promote support for families of unemployed people or those at risk of unemployment (through programmes such as the Parents As Career Educators programme).
   

• Promote a stocktaking exercise, identifying gaps or duplications, developing databases of services that are relevant to key sectors.
   
• Promote in-depth research by local research institutions into the make-up of the local labour market (labour demand and labour supply) to facilitate co-ordination between job placement agencies, community groups, training providers and industry.
   
• Facilitate and support the collection of local databases (business, education and training, community organisations) that can be used to assist business and employment development.

• Support Palmerston North Enterprise Board initiatives to bring together a business database.

• Promote the development of compatible databases.
   
• Support research into the information and other needs of small and medium sized enterprises.
   
• Facilitate advocacy for local and national employment development initiatives by compiling good quality advice, articulating problems, giving well-researched examples of their impacts, and suggesting options.
   

• Promote information that will assist employers and workers to effectively negotiate the flexibility demands of the new labour relations framework.
   
• Promote positive role models.

• Institute a "good employer" award - develop and publicise criteria, and make the award.

• Promote services that will allow individuals to gain or remain in employment such as quality and accessible early childhood services and out-of -school care.
   
• Encourage businesses to adopt policies and practices that recognise staff have family responsibilities.
   
• Promote of a new "socially responsible" business culture whereby businesses adopt a longer-term perspective and take on more staff than minimum levels.

1. Work with major local employers (e.g. education institutes) and explore how they might be able to take on extra staff (support staff, administration staff, teacher aides).
2. Develop resources that help employers see the profitability of employing more staff.

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[Table of Contents]   [Ian Ritchie]