The Young Innovator Awards has grown in terms of student, school and business participation over the last 2 years, despite the Covid-19 pandemic. The appetite for innovation and willingness to support our rangatahi in Tauranga Moana is as strong as ever!

It’s now time to take the programme to a new level: this year we are pushing for our Priority One members to join with our yia! Partners and Sponsors to capitalise on the incredible pipeline of young talent we have in our local schools!

This year’s key focus is on generating a greater number of workplace experiences for yia! student entrants within the local business community. Previously this has been a privilege extended only to a handful of finalists as part of their prize. Yet we receive hundreds of completed entries each year, which means there are plenty of awesome innovators and ideas out there waiting to be picked up and given an opportunity to show their value – finalists or not.

A workplace experience could be anything from a few hours shadowing an employee to learn more about what they actually do and how they use the innovative skill-set, right up to a multi-day (or longer term) project. This win-win opportunity matches Young Innovator’s skills or ideas with businesses looking for a youthful and fresh perspective within their team.

We at Priority One understand the difficulties being caused by our current labour shortages across our business community. And though investing in our youth now to ensure they are work-ready won’t necessarily solve that issue immediately, it will position smart businesses ahead of the pack as they look to build successful retention and succession plans to attract and retain top talent into the Future of Work.

We also know the potentially life-changing value a young person can derive from being given a chance to explore the world of work beyond the school gates. So join the yia! movement! Find out more by joining our upcoming webinar launch event via Zoom:

Where: Zoom