Progress report: December 2022

Message from our Wellington RSLG co-chairs

It has been a busy 6 months since we developed our first Regional Workforce Plan. We made the decision to have 5 separate launches around the region to re-engage with the communities that had assisted us in developing the plan. These were extremely successful events, and it has been encouraging to see our communities and stakeholders engage with the plan itself and the actions identified within it.

We are working to set up the platforms that will enable us to deliver on many of these actions, such as sector groups in our priority sectors. We are doing this in a region with many interested parties who have overlapping interests with us, and there is now a growing set of partnerships to support delivery of our plan.

We have already received active support to progress activities from partners, including:

• WellingtonNZ, Te Matarau a Māui
• Regional Leadership Impact Group
• programme office of the Wellington Regional Leadership Committee
• Wairarapa Primary Sector Advisory Group.

We have made a good start but there is much more to do as we look forward to 2023 and refine our workforce plan considering what we have learned so far. We would like to give our thanks to our Regional Skills Leadership Group (RSLG) members for their work so far, and to our partners who play a critical part in the successful delivery of our workforce plan and achieving our vision for the future of the Wellington region.

Progress on actions from the Regional Workforce Plan

The Wellington RSLG launched our Regional Workforce Plan in August 2022. Our plan identifies 5 areas to focus on for the next 3 years:

• maximising the available workforce
• skills development
• building connections
• building thriving workplaces
• supporting young people.

Our plan includes 9 actions intended to bring about change in these focus areas, delivered through 38 activities. This update covers the actions and activities that are our current focus. This is a 3-year plan and some of the actions and activities are scheduled to be undertaken in future years. We began leading and coordinating implementation of the plan in September and are actively progressing 10 activities.

Action: Create specific sector and youth advisory groups (or affiliate with existing groups) to build a strong regional system for workforce planning

Key milestones

• Commenced environmental scans and engagement to establish multi-stakeholder groups for the health and infrastructure and construction sectors.
• Completed an initial stocktake of primary sector workforce development activity in the region and joined a meeting of the Wairarapa Primary Sector Advisory Group.
• Commenced project to establish a regional youth caucus.
• Partnering with WellingtonNZ to convene a workshop for local government workforce planning leaders across the region.

Anticipated outcomes

• Multi-stakeholder sector workforce groups help to build a strong regional system for workforce planning through, for example, identifying specific industry skills requirements, forecasting demand, identifying and resolving barriers and systems problems, and developing advice on opportunities for training and skills development.
• A regional youth caucus brings a youth voice and operates as an advisory group for RSLG and regional planning activities.
• Sub-regional workforce groups are connected for a more joined up approach to labour market planning.

Action: Encourage use of social procurement arrangements by large organisations in the region to increase sustainable employment for our priority communities

Key milestones

• Engaged with leaders of social procurement and gathered key information to plan for greater use of social procurement in our region.
• Engaged in a significant social procurement event to support regional partners grow opportunities for Māori businesses and Māori employment through procurement.

Anticipated outcomes

• Social procurement is used as a tool to increase sustainable employment for our priority communities and contribute to a regional culture of decent work.

Action: Seek support for programmes and initiatives that are achieving good employment outcomes for our priority communities

Key milestones

• Partnered with the Wellington Regional Leadership Impact Group to develop, align, and coordinate education to employment initiatives across the region.
• Completed project plan to encourage local councils to implement ‘Pathways to Employment’ internships for disabled people.

Anticipated outcomes

• Education to employment programmes are available to more young people in all parts of the region, and an increase in the number of young people who obtain employment after participating in an education to employment programme.
• Disabled people in our region achieve good employment outcomes, and the available workforce is maximised to meet regional demand.

Highlights from the last 6 months

Bringing people together to celebrate our first regional workforce plan

Over 200 people joined us to celebrate the launch of our first Regional Workforce Plan at events in Masterton, Waikanae, Lower Hutt, Porirua and Wellington City.

Wellington RSLG and our local communities marked a major milestone in our work and shared thoughts on key challenges and opportunities. Importantly for the RSLG, the celebrations saw Iwi, businesspeople, training providers, workforce development councils and community leaders connecting with each other and strengthening relationships. It is these relationships that will help us to identify and influence better ways to meet the future skills and workforce needs of our region.

Working alongside WellingtonNZ for aligned regional planning

Wellington RSLG and WellingtonNZ have worked hard to align our region’s economic and workforce development plans. This alignment is reflected in the sectors, actions and initiatives identified as priorities in our plans.

WellingtonNZ staff joined our September meeting to discuss how we can work together to implement our plans, and this engagement is ongoing as we continue to collaborate on progressing our connected actions and activities.

Establishment of Hutt Valley’s Jobs and Skills hub

Wellington RSLG backed a proposal for a Jobs and Skills Hub in Hutt Valley, which was approved for funding in November 2022.

The establishment of a Jobs and Skills Hub directly relates to priorities identified in our workforce plan and it will open skills development and employment opportunities for Māori, Pacific peoples, disabled people, former refugees, and other priority communities in our region. Additionally, we expect the Hub to play an important role in building the much-needed infrastructure and construction workforce for our region.

Looking forward to 2023

The Wellington RSLG will continue to progress our year 1 actions and activities, focusing on those that help maximise the available workforce, build connections, and support our young people.

This includes:

• encouraging the use of social procurement arrangements to increase sustainable employment opportunities for our priority communities
• working with sector stakeholder groups in the primary, health, infrastructure, and construction sectors
• partnering with the Wellington Regional Leadership Impact Group to map, align, coordinate, and develop education to employment support in our region.

Additionally, in early 2023 we will be working closely with key stakeholders – including workforce development councils and tertiary education organisations – while we develop our advice to the Tertiary Education Commission, to help inform their 2024 investment decisions.