Work Ready Kāpiti helps local youth transition into work, with the skills local employers are seeking. 

Interested in mentoring a local young person, or getting involved? You can find out more here

Work Ready Kāpiti runs three key programmes

Work Experience programme (WEX) – Providing youth with opportunities while local businesses receive extra support in the form of youth work experience placements.

Kāpiti Work Ready Passport – aimed at assisting youth in developing key skills to ensure they are work-ready. 

Events – #EmployerMeets and an Annual Awards event, all aimed at facilitating connections between Kāpiti youth and employers. A great opportunity for employers to connect with the future work force!

Work Ready Kāpiti believe the Kāpiti community will benefit both socially and economically by young job seekers being work-ready and bringing fresh perspectives to local businesses.

Ways you can get involved as a local business!

Offer a placement for the WEX (Work Experience) programme

This programme will run during the school holidays and will require a minimum commitment of 3 days over a 2 week period, allowing participants to develop a more solid skill base in a quicker period and for the employers to benefit from the extra support in their business.


Work Ready Kāpiti will make this an easy process for local employers, by managing the placements and creating an Employer Pack to assist with on-boarding the participant.
Local colleges have also shown great enthusiasm and support for the initiative, offering to vet and match applicants to the placements based on their skills and interests.


If you are a Kāpiti-based business who could use some extra support and would be interested in offering a placement to a local youth, please get in contact.
Please email – [email protected] or visit their website – www.workreadykapiti.com for further information.

Take part in #EmployerMeets

These are ‘speed-dating’ style events, with a variety of local business owners meeting with multiple young job seekers over the course of an evening.

Young job seekers are registered and matched to employers ahead of the event and then on the evening, they complete a series of meetings with their selected employers.

This is a great way to make connections with the up-coming workforce and provide valuable interview experience that will positively impact Kāpiti youth with real life interview experience. You may even meet a future employee!

Please email – [email protected] or visit their website – www.workreadykapiti.com for further information and to register your interest!


Work Ready Kāpiti – background

Work Ready Kāpiti is a charitable trust formally named the Kāpiti Youth Employment Foundation. It grew from the Kāpiti Youth Employment Strategy Group which was a joint initiative of the Kāpiti Coast Chamber of Commerce and the Kāpiti Coast District Council.

As a charitable trust Work Ready Kāpiti is focused on the fact that the Kāpiti Coast has a higher than average number of youth (16-24 year olds) that are not engaged in education, employment or training; we want them and all the other Kāpiti youth who seek employment, to get working.

We encourage Kapiti youth to obtain skills to be ‘work ready’ and encourage Kapiti employers to be ready to employ Kapiti youth.

Since inception, the key principles behind this project have been developed to include:

  • Local solutions for local issues
  • Employment is the ultimate goal for all young people
  • Stocktake of community resources
  • Transitional support and pastoral care for school leavers
  • Post-secondary training (education) focus on work readiness and skills that employers recognise and value
  • Support for employers of youth and young employees
  • The community values our young people and celebrates their achievements

Check out this Youtube clip of the Careers for the Future Expo