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 you as learners/akōnga have the skills, knowledge and pathways to succeed at work.” 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.

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 in Aotearoa New Zealand will only 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. Students in the Waikato have felt that when engaging with the SSEP program, it has allowed them to relate what they are studying at school with real world activities and jobs. It has opened their eyes to a range of job opportunities and workplaces they never knew existed.

SSEP is an amazing opportunity for you as students to understand more about the plant production industry, and get inspired to pursue a career in plant production within Aotearoa New Zealand. If you are a student in the Waikato or Canterbury ask your teachers if they are providing SSEP at your school.