Meet Silila Setefano, a Project Coordinator at the National Property Office for the New Zealand Police. Her job is to support development managers across New Zealand in planning and maintaining police properties. In this instalment of our 10-year anniversary blog series, Silila shares the story of her journey with Talent RISE, how it got her to where she is and what she’s looking forward to in the future.

Can you tell us about your career journey?

I joined the Talent RISE program back in 2020. At the time, I was part of a two-year IT apprenticeship with Transpower, New Zealand’s national grid operator and they referred us to Talent RISE for a six-week ‘Readiness to Work’ programme, which was a fantastic transition from college to the professional world.

This was a great networking opportunity for me as during this time, I kept a close relationship with Talent International. This led me to the opportunity to work as a contractor where I picked up a contract with the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) working with an amazing team on the maintenance of NZDF’s platform equipment. From there, I began doing some work at Parliament which eventually led me to the Police Force. Since graduating Talent RISE’s program, I’ve returned as an alumni motivational speaker and am committed to supporting and advocating for Talent RISE’s cause.

How did the skills and experience you gained with Talent RISE contribute to your success?

Being a young Pasifika person, finding my feet in the corporate space straight out of college was challenging. At Talent RISE, I learned about dress codes, financial literacy, email formatting, workplace behaviours, interview preparation, and so much more; and I’ve been successful in every job interview I have walked into since graduating from these work-readiness programmes. The confidence I now have has allowed me to speak to my strengths and to leave a positive impact on every interviewer I meet, and it is a testament to my growth through the Talent RISE programme.

I am now 22 years old and in my fourth year in the corporate space with experience across different government agencies and I still carry the lessons I learned with Talent RISE. I still practice aspects of “Te Whare Tapa Wha” which is a RISE session demonstrating the importance of health and wellbeing. As a result, I know the importance of looking after myself mentally and physically, which allows my work ethic to shine and is something I am extremely proud of, especially after losing my father in 2022. All these factors have played a role in my success today and have shaped me to be a well-respected employee who has really grown as a person in the corporate space.

What are the achievements or milestones you’re particularly proud of?

Working for New Zealand Police Force to enable our frontliners is a rewarding job – one I would’ve never imagined myself in – and for that, I’m particularly proud of where I’m at in my career. Having been involved in Parliament work and working in the New Zealand Defence Force was invaluable to my journey and something I will always be proud of.

I’m also proud of my ongoing relationship with Talent RISE. I come from a small island called Tokelau with so many young people like me who have so much to give, so being able to give back and provide opportunities for young people in my community is important to me. Seeing what the programme has given me and others, I’ve been really fortunate to refer my sister, cousin, and other relatives to Talent RISE, which makes this connection even more special to me.

What are your goals for the future?

I want to be able to provide for my family comfortably. I’m currently a primary provider at home and I look after my mum. My main goal really is to just see my family comfortable and well taken care of. I feel like there’s so much more for me out there and I still have quite a long journey to go, but it excites me and I’m always just striving to do better.

What advice would you give young people who are currently struggling with gaining valuable employment?

Take every opportunity you can get. Take that job. And if you don’t like it, quit it and get another job. When a door closes, another will always open and you’ll eventually get to where you want to be, but you’re not going to get there if you say ‘no’ to opportunities. You just have to say ‘yes’.

Also, the hardest things are the things you’ll get the most value and lessons out of. I always tell the young people I speak to from the programme to not be afraid and to take on challenges, because the skills you gain from this will get you very far in life.