VISION

The Mayors Taskforce for Jobs is committed to its vision:

That all young people under 25 years be in paid work, in training or education, or in productive activities in our communities and
That all people over 25 have the opportunity and be encouraged to be in paid work, in training or education, or in productive activities in our communities.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs are:

to provide a national focus of leadership on the jobs issue through co-operation between Mayors concerned about employment issues in their communities,
to share best practice on what we can achieve on employment at the local level,
to create local and national forums which address the "big picture" of trends on the issues of income and work,
to link with imaginative private sector initiatives that are addressing local employment issues,
to positively influence central government policy to achieve the Taskforce vision.

OUR GOVERNANCE ROLE

Our role as Mayors in this initiative is a governance one — taking political leadership on the jobs issue and on the future of income and work in our communities.

Our governance role promotes and sustains the vision of healthy communities where all citizens have the opportunity to participate and where quality of life is continually improved. Our leadership role focuses on being a catalyst through raising local awareness and modelling collaborative working relationships. Our political role raises the profile of these issues and places the state of our local communities on the national stage.

WHY MAYORS?

Mayors are:

Directly elected and they have a collective ability to speak to the whole community, take civic leadership and facilitate collaboration and genuine partnerships across all sectors
Passionate about their communities
Committed to providing opportunities for all their citizens to participate

WHY YOUTH?

Research shows those who make a successful transition from school to education, training and work have better life long outcomes.
NZ is suffering widespread skill and labour shortages so we need every young person to be fully engaged in our communities.
NZ needs to train its young to help fill our skills shortages.
The demand for entry and lower level skilled workers is also growing.
There is global competition for skilled labour.
Youth are an underutilised source of labour.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Taking Mayoral leadership to engage with government Ministers, officials, agencies, community groups and the private sector which have key roles in employment is the way the Taskforce works to achieve its vision. Partnerships with government agencies and Ministers provide the Taskforce with an opportunity to discuss policy issues and inform the policy making process, particularly to ensure that policy is relevant at the local level. Working across all sectors and encouraging collaboration between agencies ensures the most effective service delivery and efficient use of resources, currently through:

Increasing youth transition services, modern apprenticeships, industry trainees
Using Long Term Council Community Plans to engage locals
Working with central and local government officials to develop sound policies and projects
Using Mayors’ collective voice to lobby on behalf of youth employment
Recognising and using the power of the Mayor’s office