A new partnership between the Ministry of Social Development and the NZSA will place fit-for-purpose job seekers with NZSA member employers – and place a dent in the industry’s skills shortage.
Punctuating this year’s NZSA Security Industry Awards dinner was the announcement of a Skills for Industry Partnership between the NZSA and MSD that will see the Association act as the MSD’s National Work Broker for the security industry.
Under the arrangement, the NZSA will screen job seekers and link them with members needing new staff. NZSA members who take on candidates will be responsible for ensuring minimum training requirements are met.
“This programme recognises the current skills shortage within the security industry and the ability of the NZSA to identify those MSD candidates who meet the legislative requirements to work in the industry and have the right aptitude, attitude and ability to fill member job vacancies,” stated NZSA CEO Gary Morrison.
The NZSA will screen potential candidates to ensure they fully understand the requirements of the role, are fit enough for the role, are willing and able to get work and stay at work when required, are able to communicate verbally and in writing to the required level, and are willing and able to train towards a national qualification relevant to the role (with support from their employer).
Screening will involve an Initial telephone interview, an assessment centre (including literacy, comprehension, writing skills and ability to follow direction), face-to-face interview (including verbal confirmation of ability to obtain a CoA), verification of CV, and reference checks.
If the candidate meets the ‘fit for employment’ threshold, the Association will then assist the candidate in applying for their temporary Certificate of Approval (CoA), with the cost met by the NZSA, and then job-match the candidate to member vacancies.
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For their part, participating members will provide a minimum of 30 hours – preferably 40 hours – of paid work per week. They are required to release and pay the new employee to complete all required training programmes including the Mandatory Training unit standards and any role-specific training that may be agreed between the NZSA and the employer. The training is to be paid for by the employer.
Employers are to monitor their new employees’ progress, support them with their training and workplace induction, and to provide all necessary reports to the NZSA as they are due.
Employers will be reimbursed for wages paid during the first six weeks of employment at minimum wage for 30 hours per week, and they will be paid an additional $500 when the candidate achieves the milestones of three months and six months continuous employment.
MSD and NZSA have filmed two short videos that explain and demonstrate the roles of Security Officers and Security Technicians, along with interviews of workers who were filmed. These videos and interviews will be prominently displayed within MSD offices and on the NZSA website (www.security.org.nz).
If you have any questions about the Work Broker Programme, or require more information, contact Gary (gary@security.org.nz or 01 1229606) or Andrea (andrea@security.org.nz or 0274 502020) at the NZSA.
