Fletcher Building takes home four youth employer awards

Fletcher Building featured prominently the Auckland Council Young at Heart Awards winning four prizes, including Innovative Youth Employer, Jobfest Exhibitor 2017, Youth Induction and Development Award and the Youth Employment Programme Award.

Accepting the award for the Youth Induction and Development Award Frances Ridge, Learning and Development Manager – Graduate and Youth Development was delighted with the win.

"We are dedicated to supporting young people and giving the talent of the future the support and the start they need to launch their careers. This win is so important it us as it recognises the impact we are having and the work that has been put into these programmes.”

Fletcher Building Chief People and Communications Officer Claire Carroll was proud of the team and the dedication they show to youth entering the workforce.

“Fletcher Building is committed to providing employment, targeting unemployed young people and school leavers, particularly in the Auckland region. Our programmes are designed with the support of graduates and school leavers to ensure they resonate and inspire young people into the industry”

The end of the night saw Fletcher Building claim a total of four of the 10 awards presented and was also named as finalist for the Youth In-Work Mentoring Award.

The Young at Heart Awards celebrate and recognise Auckland Council Youth Employer Pledge partners and the commitment Auckland businesses are making to employing young people.

Further information:

Winning the Innovative Youth Employer the Switch Up programme is a game-changing online job hunting and application platform designed for young people, specifically those transitioning from school or unemployment who are not considering university, and looking for an entry into the employment market.

The platform has many features that differ from a traditional jobs site.

• Long, sometimes boring job descriptions have been replaced by videos of current young employees, their tasks, and their daily lives on the job. By showing, rather than telling, what a job looks like, young people will be able to visualize their future career and be excited about it.
• No CVs. To apply for a job, the students must fill in a simple, “Facebook” like profile that takes less than 6 minutes to complete.
• A 100% feedback model ensures all applicants, whether they are accepted or rejected, get the feedback they deserve. Software on the site spots gaps (if any are present) in an applicant’s profile and directs them to places where they can fill in these gaps. The site sends out periodical communications to the applicant to check up on their progress of filling out their application gaps.

Fletcher Building Graduate programme

Now in its third year, Fletcher Building has had its largest number of graduates join the company with graduate placements across New Zealand and now into Australia.

A number of Fletcher Building businesses have taken the opportunity to employ young, fresh minds into their fold, including Construction Infrastructure, Construction Building + Interiors, Group Technology, Sales and Marketing, Finance, and Humes, as well as Corporate.

During the year-long programme graduates attend six learning and development 'contact' days, focussing on presentation skills, team strategy, business stimulations, mentoring, resilience, and career building.

The programme will also offer the graduates 18 hours of remote learning, technical development, and on the job experiences run by their respective business units and each graduate is paired with a business mentor.

Fletcher Building also run mentoring and development programmes for young people who have joined the business through employment or internship partners MSD, Te Puna Kokiri, Tupu Toa, LSV and the First Foundation.