Secondary School Employer Partnerships (SSEP) is an award winning initiative supporting the National Education and Learning Priorities (NELP) objective to “Collaborate with industries and employers to ensure learners/akōnga have the skills, knowledge and pathways to succeed at work.”
SSEP started in Waikato in 2016, exposing students to opportunities they might not otherwise have seen, giving them the confidence to see themselves in an industry setting. In 2021, 34 secondary schools across the Waikato region are participating in SSEP. With the launch of SSEP in Canterbury on the 27th of September the collaboration with schools and industry can grow.
Partnerships with industry within education allows our school system to encompass a diverse range of career insights in Aotearoa New Zealand, ensuring better connections and transitions into employment. It is important that you as business owners and employers invest in your nurseries future by encouraging the next generation into plant production. SSEP is an amazing opportunity for young people to understand more about the industry, and get inspired to pursue a career in plant production within Aotearoa New Zealand.
SSEP are 3-year formal relationships between secondary schools and local employers who link into school faculties at Year 9 & 10, supporting contextualised learning in the classroom. SSEP provides a “real world” application of the curriculum and exposes students to a wide range of career opportunities inside and outside of the classroom. SSEP is a framework adapted to fit each schools kaupapa, curriculum and local industries. Companies work across the whole cohort of students at secondary school.
If you are an employer within Waikato or Canterbury and would like more information or to get involved within the SSEP Program, contact Alice Schofield alice@nzppi.co.nz
If you are not in the Waikato or Canterbury but are interested in having your business listed on a regional list for teachers please fill out this online form here so that we can pass this onto the Horticulture and agricultural teachers association (HATA), Secondary School Employer Partnerships (SSEP) Program, Careers and Transition Education Association NZ Inc (CATE), as well as PrimaryITO and Lincoln University.