Limited Service Volunteer Training

Limited Service Volunteer (LSV) training, comprising a six-week course aimed primarily at long-term unemployed young people between the ages of 18 and 25, commenced in May 1993. Training is provided at Burnham and since 1 July 1998 LSV Training has been staffed on a tri-Service basis. Funding of the scheme is subsidised by an annual grant from the Ministry of Social Development. In August 2009 the government announced further funding, initially for two years, to provide additional LSV Training at Youth Development Units (YDU) in Wellington and Auckland.

Assistance to the Unemployed and Disadvantaged Youth

In addition to the Limited Service Volunteer Scheme, a number of initiatives have been developed to meet the NZDF’s role in assisting disadvantaged youth and the unemployed. These include:

1. the Room to Move Project - this is a six-week work experience programme operating at Trentham Camp;
2. the appointment of Service personnel to be Team Leaders for the 12-week youth development programmes operated by the Prince’s Trust, formerly known as the Prince of Wales Trust, in Porirua, Whangarei, Auckland, Dunedin and Christchurch;
3. assisting Raleigh International New Zealand in assessing and selecting participants for their leadership programmes; and
4. the Youth Life Skills (YLS) cell based at Burnham Camp now provides advice and staff support for a number of institutions managing and running basic life skills courses. These include military academies established in a number of secondary schools and colleges. In August 2009 the government announced further funding to set up a YLS cell in Auckland, as part of the new Northern Youth Development Unit.

For further information:

• Work and Income brochure
• LSV Company feature article