The thought of leaving school and heading out into the big wide world to university or work can be exciting – and sometimes pretty scary and overwhelming.
Hopefully your school may have been helping you think about transitioning from school to a university or towards getting a job for a while now. Your parents or caregivers will be keen to help too, and guess what - even the government of NZ is keen to help you find work!
The good news is that there are lots of nice people out there who know it's going to be a bit harder for you to move towards your goals, and who really are keen to help you make it work.
There are lots of great Transition Programmes – these are all about helping you to move as smoothly as possible into employment, community services or other activities. They'll work with you, your family/whānau and your school to make the transition to adult life as easy as possible. Your planning will involve working through setting goals and developing skills and experiences to lead a happy, purposeful and productive life after school.
Here are some based in Auckland but there are many others around the country.
Transition Programme - from school to adult life - Life Unlimited
Supporting teens with disabilities to find employment | Service | Enrich+
Workbridge | Building a bridge over employment barriers
Transition Services – CCS Disability Action
Transition Support from school to work - Spectrum Care
Employment Services for NZ Job Seekers - Let Us Help You Find a Job | APM NZ - A free 12-week programme
All universities and other tertiary institutions in NZ have whole departments to look after students who may need learning support:
Student Disability Services - The University of Auckland
Disability support services | Manukau Institute of Technology
Disability Support Services - Student Support - AUT
Disability Support Services | Study Support | Unitec
Disability Services – Victoria University of Wellington
Disability Services – University of Canterbury
Disability information and support – University of Otago
Disability services – Massey University
