“Fantastic” was how 17-year-old Zach Clarke summed up the Cambridge Community Careers Expo, held at the town hall last week.
“It’s great, there’s so many things here,” he said. “You’ve got everything I’m interested in, in this room. It’s all like police officers, defence force, stuff like that.”
With NCEA subject choice forms due in at Cambridge High School tomorrow, for Zach it was a well-timed opportunity to find out which subjects would steer him into an engineering career with the Navy.
His ambition was sparked by a visit to last year’s expo.
“Earlier last year I had no clue what I wanted to be but then I went to one of these,” the year 12 student said.
“I was looking around and this was one of the only things that really stood out to me.”
He loves the idea of being out on the ocean, “cruising around” while training and earning money.
At this year’s expo he chatted to the New Zealand Defence Force’s Waikato regional recruiter Texas Ngarongo-Porima, who outlined the benefits of joining the Navy.
“I don’t even know where to start, to be honest,” the petty officer said. “You’ve got the standard stuff like having medical and dental free, and we’ve got subsidised housing and food – everything is essentially laid out for you. Your uniform’s free, your tools of the trade are free, we’ll pay you to master your craft or technical expertise in whatever industry you choose, whether it’s cheffing or being a mechanic or being a sparky.”
He said the Navy offered more than 104 different roles and the starting rate for a new recruit was $68,000 a year.
On the opposite side of the hall, representing Victoria University of Wellington, was future student advisor Dylan Chetwin, who grew up in Te Awamutu.
He advised those keen to attend university to follow their strengths and interests and to take note of their passions and curiosities while at high school.
“If a student’s really into performing arts, then that’s something you can really lean into…or if you’re someone who wants to make a change in this world you might think about doing health sciences, you might look at doing law,” he said.
“Really start to think about what you do enjoy and what you feel passionate about.”
Cambridge High School’s careers faculty head Karina Judson, who led the expo with support from St Peter’s Cambridge and Te Awamutu College, was “ecstatic” the event had attracted 1000 visitors.
It showcased career opportunities with a range of providers including universities, other tertiary institutions, local industries and businesses.
New Zealand Defence Force Waikato regional recruiter Texas Ngarongo-Porima (left) chats to Cambridge High School student Zach Clarke about a career in the Navy.
