Match subjects to jobs in demand for future success

Want your young person to learn about what they enjoy, as long as it leads to future success? The secret is to discover what jobs are in demand and find subjects they like that will get them into those jobs.

By choosing the subjects needed for jobs in demand your young person’s future job prospects will be golden.

Here are three steps to make this happen.

It’s easier than you think to find out what jobs are in demand in New Zealand. You can check:

• Immigration New Zealand’s skill shortage lists
• our jobs database to see which careers have a “good” job outlook rating
• our job market information to find current and future career trends
• news and media reports about careers and skill shortages.

Make a list of the jobs in demand that interest your young person as you go.

• Immigration New Zealand website - skill shortage list checker
• Jobs database
• What’s happening in the job market?

Step 1 example

From your search you find there are quite a few jobs in demand that your young person is interested in, including arborist, chef, horse trainer and winemaker.

Now you’ve got a list of jobs in demand your young person finds interesting, you can help them to discover more about those jobs.  To do this:

1. Search for the job in our jobs database.
2. Find the "About the job" page for the job.
3. Explore the "What you will do" section and the job profile or video on this page.

Then they can decide if the job still sounds interesting or not and update their list.

Step 2 example

Your young person really likes the idea of working outdoors with plants so chooses to explore the arborist and winemaker jobs in our jobs database. They check out the “What you will do” section on the “About the job” page of these jobs and take notes.

What you will do as an arborist: inspect, prune, plant, maintain and climb trees

What you will do as a winemaker: develop new wine styles, process grapes to make wine

They decide the job of arborist interests them more, but they still like the job of winemaker.

Your young person should now have a list of potential job ideas, so it’s time to match these ideas to subjects. To do this:

1. Search for the jobs again in our jobs database.
2. Find the "How to enter the job" page for the job.
3. Explore the "Secondary education" section on this page. It lists the subjects needed to get into the job, or to get into a training course for the job.

Step 3 example

Help your young person check out the “Secondary education” section on the “How to enter the job” page of the arborist and winemaker jobs in our jobs database.

Arborist subjects required: A minimum of three years of secondary education is recommended. Useful subjects include agriculture and horticulture, and biology.

Winemaker subjects required: A tertiary entrance qualification is required to enter further training. Useful subjects include maths, chemistry, physics and processing technologies.

The subjects recommended are quite different. Your young person decides to do agriculture and horticulture, chemistry, biology, physics and mathematics. These subjects are also a good base for many careers in science and technology.

Sometimes there are no recommended subjects for jobs. If this happens, talk to a career adviser or dean at your young person’s school. They may suggest useful subjects to keep your young person’s job options open.

For personal advice your young person can talk to their school’s career adviser or dean, or contact us.

• Get in touch with us for career information and guidance

• Helping with NCEA subject choice