Planning for careers expos, Te whakamahere mō ngā whakaaturanga aramahi

Careers expos offer great opportunities for young people to explore study and work pathways and make connections.

These events bring together employers, education and training providers and industry organisations to help young people explore work and study pathways.

A careers expo focuses on career exploration and learning about different industries, along with current employment opportunities.

Expos provide valuable chances to meet real employers, ask questions and build confidence in making future decisions.

Use our My careers expo planner to help prepare young people to get the most out of any event.

Taking part in expos, job fairs, role model events and career conversations all support a young person’s long-term career development. Research from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that when young people engage in meaningful career activities, they often:

• feel more supported
• experience less career uncertainty
• develop clearer ideas about their future pathways.

The state of global teenage career preparation - OECD report

Careers expos also help young people gather the types of information they need to make informed decisions.

This includes:

• understanding different industries
• learning about study and training pathways
• discovering what skills employers are looking for.

These experiences contribute to stronger transitions into work, training or further study.

Transitions from secondary school – Insights report

Here are some quick ideas you can adapt to suit your students and setting.

• Help students think about their interests, skills and values. Resources like My journey planner and its sections about them and their possible career ideas and work areas will support this reflection.
• Review which organisations will be attending and encourage students to choose the stalls they want to visit.
• Use the My careers expo planner to help students prepare simple questions and set goals for the day.

Career action plans – My journey planners

• Encourage students to introduce themselves and start conversations when they feel ready.
• If needed, help to start the first interaction, then step back and let students take the lead.
• Suggest students take brief notes to help with reflection afterwards.

Sensory-friendly support

Expos can be loud and busy. Many schools and expo providers are happy to make adjustments. If a young person prefers quieter spaces, ask about:

• a quiet hour or early entry
• sensory-friendly areas
• someone who can walk around with them
• short visits or planned breaks.

• Support students to reflect using the My careers expo planner and update their My journey planner pages with new ideas.
• Look through any notes and contacts together and identify what stood out.
• Help students choose 1 or 2 next steps, like researching a course or learning more about an industry.

There are many careers expos across Aotearoa New Zealand. Schools, communities, industries and organisations run these events throughout the year. You can check with your school’s career adviser for upcoming opportunities.

Expos are a great way for parents and whānau and their young people to explore jobs, industries and study and training pathways together. Young people may be going with a school or provider, or you may decide to go together as a family.

• Have a quick conversation about what they’re interested in and what they enjoy. For help with these discussions, ask them to complete the Interest quiz or visit the Get inspired section on Tahatū.
• Explore career ideas on Tahatū and look at the Explore study and training section to start discussions around what jobs or training they're curious about.
• Find out which employers or providers will be there and choose some to visit.
• Reinforce that there’s no pressure to make decisions on the day.

Interest quiz

Get inspired

Explore career ideas

Explore study and training

• Notice where they seem engaged or excited – this can help guide future conversations.
• Let your young person lead the way and visit stands that interest them.
• Gently prompt questions if they need support.
• Write down helpful contacts and their suggestions for actions to follow up.

• Talk about what they enjoyed or found interesting.
• Explore small next steps, like reading about a job they liked or watching job videos.
• Acknowledge the effort they put into attending and talking to new people.

Tahatu career map

How to make a career decision

How to look for a job

Video library

Study and training

Work