Return 2 Work Programme

Our Return 2 Work programme connects highly skilled and motivated people with employers, assisting with one of the highest demand vacancies - administrative staff.

The Auckland Chamber of Commerce is working with a group of skilled and motivated people seeking business support roles that allow them to balance work and life commitments. Returning to the workforce with employers who can provide, or would consider providing, a flexible work place; is a practice now widely acknowledged as a key recruitment and retention strategy.

Look at our Return 2 Work candidate profiles or contact us today to tell us about the position you have available and our employment team will work with you to match skilled candidates with the needs of your business.

Contact Lesley Jones on ph 375 3926 or email ljones@chamber.co.nz for more information on the free Return2Work service.

If you would like some assistance and want to learn more about our initiatives please email recruitment@chamber.co.nz or call the Chamber's Recruitment team on 0800 18 23 23.

Testimonial

Candidate Testimonial - Catherine

Catherine came to the Chamber of Commerce Return 2 Work Programme following her redundancy in March this year. Stepping out of a busy, high level role in the fashion industry, Catherine found herself feeling like a failure after her job was disestablished.

With a strong, stable employment history behind her she was determined to re-enter employment as soon as possible. Her previous employment has centred on the fashion industry for more than 20 years; trying to stay within this Industry, it soon became apparent how difficult this was going to be during these economic times.

Attending the Return 2 Work Programme was the key to Catherine’s return to work. Not needing a CV for many years and having progressed in her career through her networking opportunities, the thought of applying for jobs and going through the interview process felt daunting.

With the support of the programme and programme leaders she produced a CV she felt proud of, discovered her transferable skills and learnt interview skills that would give her the edge when applying for jobs. The possibility of finding satisfying and sustainable employment became a reality again and Catherine felt her confidence returning. She began to view her redundancy as an opportunity to apply her vast range of skills and experience in a new industry.

Catherine was interviewed by an employer, through the Chamber of Commerce Recruitment Service, for a Customer Service Manager/Sales & Marketing Support role in a completely new field. After becoming the successful applicant she said “I would never have thought I could transfer my skills so easily from one field to another, nor have the confidence to apply for jobs outside my existing area of expertise. I’m pleased I attended the programme. The course was very empowering and exactly the support I needed while I made my transition back to the workforce. 

Employer Testimonial - Mark

Mark Stolten of Senztek is an employer with a business experiencing a period of growth and development.  Mark needed to employ a Manager/Sales & Marketing Support person but was dreading the thought of being inundated with candidate CVs.

Having heard about the Chamber of Commerce Recruitment Solutions he turned to the Chamber for help with his recruitment needs. Within an hour of lodging his vacancy with the Employment Division team he had received a short list and the CVs of suitable candidates. Mark was really impressed with the customer service he received especially the “excellent speed and response” to his enquiry.

He appointed Catherine to the position and has found her to be a “profoundly good” choice. He’s “100% delighted with the process” and found the Employment Division team “professional in every way”. Mark would have no hesitation in recommend the Chamber’s service to other business owners in fact he said that he would recommend it to the “world!