The Go with Tourism Expo – a dedicated careers expo for the tourism and hospitality industry – has kicked off its nationwide tour in Christchurch.
With industry professionals, employers and educators onsite, students and jobseekers can discover their next step from a range of opportunities such as work experience, job vacancies and tertiary study.
The Go with Tourism Expo is an annual event delivered by Go with Tourism – a government-funded initiative to build New Zealand’s tourism and hospitality workforce.
The main objective of the Expo is to breakdown negative perceptions about tourism and hospitality work.
“Despite being a billion-dollar industry for New Zealand and employing some of our highest paid people, [it] is often snubbed by the average person,” says Matt Stenton, Programme Director of Go with Tourism.
“In our schools it’s looked down on because it is not an achievement standard subject.
“The problem is that people associate this work with frontline jobs only.
“They forget that every industry has entry-level roles that you eventually move on from; and they don’t know that in our industry you can progress quicker and find success sooner.”
“By showcasing success, separating fact from fiction, and demonstrating how wide-ranging tourism and hospitality careers are, we hope our expos can help change the narrative.”
The Go with Tourism Job Search Hub has featured more than 770 vacancies in the past year, but it has proven difficult to get Kiwis to apply for these roles.
“This situation exposes how reliant our industry is on migrant and visa workers, when Kiwis don’t want the jobs migrants will happily take,” says Stenton.
“It’s another reason why it’s so important for us to remedy negative perceptions within New Zealand.”
The Go with Tourism Expo will visit five cities over the next two months:
• 13-15 May, Christchurch Arena, Christchurch
• 20-22 May, ASB Showgrounds, Auckland
• 9 June, Dunedin Town Hall, Dunedin
• 13-14 June, Claudelands Showgrounds, Hamilton
• 25-26 June, TSB Arena, Wellington
For more information, visit gowithtourism.co.nz/GWTExpo2021
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