Career advice for people of all ages and professional stages is being offered in the fifth annual Otago Careers Festival throughout the district this month.
More than 70 events have been organised to take place in Dunedin, Balclutha, Oamaru, Queenstown, Wanaka, Alexandra and Cromwell from tomorrow until May 31.
Workshops, seminars, open days and career expos will cover a wide range of work-related topics and involve people from various industries and institutions relevant to Otago.
The majority of events will be held in Dunedin, starting with a workshop tomorrow for those wanting to help others gain the skills needed for further education or employment.
Other activities included a career fair at the University of Otago, a training workshop for unemployed adults, career questionnaires at public libraries, work assistance for migrants, Otago Polytechnic open days, and seminars about future industries.
Some events were especially aimed at women, students, parents, school leavers and those interested in specific jobs such as mining, sports development, occupational therapy and early childhood education.
Festival co-ordinator Victoria Muir, of Sequel Events, said the two themes of this year's festival were ''Otago people navigating career change with confidence'' and ''building Otago's workforce of the future, today''.
The festival would raise awareness of the career opportunities and skill needs of Otago, as well as emphasise the value of workforce development to Otago employers, she said.
The festival would take an ''any age/any stage'' approach for all residents, and all events were free to attend although some required registration. Programmes were available on the festival website www.otagocareersfestival.co.nz and at all public libraries throughout Otago.
The festival was organised by a steering group in partnership with the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs and was primarily funded by the Otago Community Trust and Careers New Zealand.
