What do construction careers and event planning for hundreds of people have in common? Students at Te Kauwhata College can do both!

Future Squad, one of our Construction Plus programmes, had started to give students an introduction to trades careers before they finish school. But this year, the programme has grown to include even more opportunities for rangatahi.

“Community engagement and placemaking are great career options, and we wanted to give these students a chance to try them out,” says Tofeeq Ahmed, Programme Manager – Placemaking.

“Thanks to the support of our build partners, these students already had hands-on construction experience earlier this year. We then saw an opportunity to offer even more practical skills – this time of a slightly different kind,” he says.

Working with the Lakeside placemaking and marketing teams, the students helped plan our Spring Information Day, which drew a crowd of 280 people last month.

They completed planning sessions, health and safety training, and designed both a treasure hunt and giant photo frame for people to capture memories of the day. They then built the frame from scratch.

“Together, we came up with ideas like a petting zoo, pony rides and bouncy castles,” Tofeeq says.

“Then they helped us make sure everything ran smoothly on the day, setting up and running the bouncy castle – as well as the treasure hunt they’d designed.”

Ramy, one of the student volunteers, says the experience was a good chance to gain management experience.

“I’m applying for leadership roles and I thought this was good as it gave me insight into leading and working with others as a group,” he says.

“I’d definitely recommend this to other students. I think it’s a great opportunity to get to work with others, being able to organise something on your own and solving challenges together.”