Demand for students

Press, 28 November 1977, Page 10

Demand for students

About 12 Canterbury I groups have so far applied, I through the Ministry of I Recreation and Sport, for i tertiary students as temporary workers under the student community service programme announced as part of the Government’s recent economic package. The scheme is designed to provide additional jobs for 'tertiary students over the 1977-78 holidays, and to les-j sen the extent to which they| compete with school-leavers’ for jobs. Applicants so far have! asked for students to help! with such work as maintenance on school repreational facilities, to organise holiday programmes, surveys and research, and for tree-planting. A recreation and youth advisory officer of the Ministry in Christchurch (Ms D. Cooke) said acceptances of applications were only just beginning to come through, as the scheme had only begun in Christchurch last week.

Applications are considered by the head office of the Ministry of Recreation and Sport, and the Labour Department. If approved, they are referred to the Labour Department which selects suitable students registered with them. Ms Cooke said the 12 applications so far could provide work for about. 45 students, if approved. About 20 groups had also I inquired, she said. For the programme, a tertiary student is defined as one who is a full-time university student; a long-term, full-time technical institute | student; or a seventh-form secondary-school pupil intending to go to university or technical institute after) the summer holidays. Students can be employed i

on a variety of projects, but the work should involve some , aspect of community service of a social, cultural, or recreational nature. Projects will be con- . sidered if they are labourintensive rather than capitalintensive, and if the cost cannot reasonably be met by the group or organisation making the application. Organisations and groups I eligible for assistance through I the programme are communlity groups, local or education authorities, government ') agencies, or groups of terj tiary students who want to J work together co-operatively, i Under the programme, groups may apply for financial help for wages, equipment, materials or other costs essential to the project. Where the project quali-

ties under the normal provisions of a special work scheme of the Labour Department, wages will be met! under that scheme. If the project falls outside ‘ this scope, the wages may be j met in whole or in part by) the Ministry of Recreation) and Sport. Ms Cooke said that an i evaluation of the pro-'

•■gramme would be made by :) recreation and youth advisory •jofficers when it ended on J February 28, 1978. j Further details and appli- ‘ cation forms are available ■ from the recreation and youth 'ladvisory officers at the Minilistry of Recreation and (Sport, care of the Internal ■ Affairs Department in Christ--1 church.