Moving offices from the back of Henderson to smart, refurbished premises on the main street of the town centre of Waitakere City has brought benefits far beyond what Pasifika Consulting Managing Director Sosefo Sime imagined.
“We noticed an immediate lift in the mindset of our clients,” he says. “Coming into a clean, professional environment made them feel good about themselves, raising their own game.”
He attributes the look to his wife and business partner ‘Uheina and her eye for design.
“For us, the work we have to do remains the same,” she says. “But for clients, it’s about lifting morale, respecting the space provided and focusing minds on what they’re here for, and that’s to find a job and improve their lives and that of their families. It’s all for them.”
The clients Sosefo and ‘Uheina talks about are people of all ages who have either never been employed or always struggled in the workforce. They are not only the unemployed, but sickness and invalid beneficiaries who are wanting to work, or at least contribute more to their communities. On his desk he has letters and cards of thanks from former clients whose lives he has helped turn around.
“We deal with what you would call high needs clients. They’ve left school with little or no qualifications. Or they have a history of crime, drugs, alcohol problems, or have hardly worked. They have no confidence and feel rejected by society, sometimes their own families.
“Even just calling them by their first name can make a difference. And we share our own stories, let them know where we came from so they can connect with us and understand that success is something you work towards. You’re not given it.”
Pasifika Consulting has a number of contracts with the Ministry of Social Development, its prime funder, and clients are referred through the Ministry’s Work and Income offices and from the communities as well.
Upon recruitment, it focuses on preparing clients to enter the workforce by training, followed by placement and support.
Training is delivered in group sessions and on a one-to-one basis, depending on the needs of clients. Suitable placements are made and ongoing follow-up support is provided.
“The two main factors for our success are our systems and the way we deal with people,” he says.
“We have systems and models that have strong foundations, yet are adaptable to different needs and changing environment.”
Pasifika Consulting has established itself as a leading job placement organisation in the Auckland Region and is among the top providers nationally.
While its initial focus was Auckland’s Pacific population, its success has seen its base spread to all ethnic communities, including Maori and recent migrants from Asia and Europe.
It has a full-time team of 14 working at its three offices in Henderson, Birkenhead and Manukau City, providing coverage for the entire Auckland region. It’s a far cry from its humble origins in 2001 in the garage of their Te Atatu Peninsula home.
Its first training centre was in a church basement, with no desks or chairs.
“We would bring with us our only laptop and a phone to plug in their phone line. It was near a small bench with a sink, so when somebody wanted to use the sink we’d unplug the computer,” he recalls.
Sosefo and ‘Uheina are both from Tonga (Sosefo from the tiny village of Halalo and ‘Uheina from Pelehake) and both credit their parents’ entrepreneurial outlook as being influential in their lives. They have two children, daughter Lois Simina (aged 10) and son Taniela Fonokalafi (eight).
