The countdown is on to the Taranaki Careers and Training Expo

Try your hand at makeup artistry, beat the vertical jump record, get your blood pressure taken and hear directly from WITT Tutors at any one of our 20 stands at the Taranaki Careers & Training Expo on the 14-15 August at TSB Stadium New Plymouth. The annual expo is back after a two-year break and features a greater presence from employers as well as other education providers.

In addition to showcasing an extensive range of career and educational opportunities prospective students will get to see the new look WITT branding that matches the 2023 Study and Career Guide, as WITT’s journey to Te Pūkenga in 2023 becomes more visible.

Warwick Foy, Chair of the Taranaki Careers and Training Expo Committee has been involved with the expo for 11 years.

Foy works full-time as the head of pathways for Sacred Heart Girls’ College and said that the expo is the perfect opportunity for students to easily explore a large number of options available.

“We know that there are hundreds of opportunities in Taranaki and Aotearoa that students and families are unaware of. The expo offers an easy way for them to find out.

“Young people learn best from people they can relate to. At the expo, they can meet people who are doing the actual jobs or training that they might be considering,” he said.

Foy said each year they receive feedback from people telling them they have had life-changing moments at the expo.

This year the expo holds extra importance as it is the first time it has been run since 2019 and many of the secondary school students who will attend have had their learning disrupted by the effects of the pandemic.

“It would be fair to say that our secondary school students have been severely affected by the disruption that COVID has presented and the ability for them to get in front of career path options has been limited.”

“We can only hope that this has taught them resilience and strength to navigate through their “new” normal and provided them with new skills to add to their “toolbox” as they embark on their journey in this ever-changing world,” he said.

Foy said that the expo is a valued event and the organising team is humbled by the support of funders and exhibitors.

“WITT is essentially our partner for the expo and we couldn’t run it with them. It's important to showcase and promote our biggest tertiary provider.”

“I have been working with WITT through three different jobs since 2010 and have seen some absolutely awesome outcomes for young people,” he said.

Today is the last chance for exhibitors to register to have a stall at the expo. Foy said that it’s important to have a wide range of exhibitors at the event.

“The two key ingredients for career and training decision-making are good information and time. Even though we group students into age bands at school, they all have different pathway timelines,” he said.