Co-ordinated by the Waitaki District Council, Aoraki Polytechnic and Literacy North Otago, as part of the Safer Waitaki Coalition, the event attracted 70 registrations from representatives across various sectors.
Waitaki District Council community safety and development facilitator Helen Algar said the ''Bridging the Gaps'' forum was designed to promote discussion about the influences and issues impacting on young people transitioning through the education system and into employment.
''History tells us there are a number of factors that contribute to outcomes that do not meet the needs of youth,'' Mrs Algar said.
Guest speaker and Manakau Institute of Technology external relations director Dr Stuart Middleton said, like most communities in New Zealand, there was a lack of connection in Waitaki, so working in partnerships would get better results.
There seemed to be a high level of willingness among the employers to bridge the gap between school and employment in Waitaki, Dr Middleton said.
''There's an enormous amount of really good stuff happening [in Waitaki]. This is not a broken community or broken education system,'' he said.
Smoothing the pathways would encourage more people to see a future for themselves in Oamaru.
While there was a restricted range of job opportunities in Oamaru, there were many students who could take advantage of them.
''The issue now is to set some clear and strategic goals for both short-term and long-term activity,'' he said.
Overall, the future looked positive for the Waitaki District which, he said, reflected the best of regional New Zealand.
''I get the strong impression that [Waitaki] is comfortable with its identity and it's going to build on that and it's not seeking to be something else,'' he said.
Following on from the event, Literacy North Otago manager Helen Jansen said said the Safer Waitaki Coalition would determine what action needed to be taken and who could be involved.
''This is a community problem where various sectors will have a role to play in the solution,'' she said.
By Rebecca Ryan.
