The Mayors Taskforce for Jobs (MTFJ) Community Employment Programme has now supported 6,400 young people into employment and exceeded targets for the fourth year in a row.

The MTFJ Community Employment Programme is a nationwide partnership between Local Government New Zealand and the Ministry for Social Development that puts funding into 33 rural and provincial mayoral-led local employment programmes, targeting young people.

MTFJ Chair Max Baxter said despite worsening employment conditions, the MTFJ programme has beaten targets to get more young people into employment.

“Councils are going the extra mile to connect young people with local employers, ensure that they have the right tools or workwear to do the job and support them to stay in sustainable long-term employment,” Max Baxter said.

LGNZ Vice President Campbell Barry said the MTFJ programme demonstrates the power of localism and community-led solutions to support young people.

“Councils are a powerful connector in our communities. The MTFJ Community Employment Programme shows the potential for locally delivered solutions to the big issues facing our communities and delivering these kinds of outcomes lines up well with the Government’s localism agenda,” Mr Barry said.

Mayor Craig Little said the MTFJ programme is clearly successful. In Wairoa we continue to meet the employment targets and are growing our workforce to meet our needs.

“The success of the programme is a huge opportunity for more investment to further grow localised employment opportunities.”

Mr Baxter said a report from ImpactLab found the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs Community Employment Programme returned $5.60 in value for every $1 invested.

“We’ve demonstrated you can develop an effective programme that gets young people contributing back into their communities, and at good value for money.

“There is a real opportunity for this programme to grow and further deliver on the Government’s goal to get more young people into employment” Max Baxter said.

MTFJ is currently funded until June next year. The current year funding includes a 20 per cent reduction compared to last year.

15 August 2024

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