After the Limited Service Volunteer course

At the end of the 6-week LSV course, there is a graduation ceremony. You can invite your family and friends to celebrate your achievements and see how far you've come.

After the course, we give you a reference and help you find work, or get into training or study. We can also help you pay for things you need to start work, like getting a driver licence or equipment.

You get regular support from your Work and Income representative. They help you continue to meet the goals you set for yourself during the course. This could be help to find somewhere new to live, sticking to your routine or mental health support.

Graduating from LSV

At the end of your 6-week Limited Service Volunteer course, you graduate from LSV. This is a chance for you as a group to celebrate your achievements, and for you to show the people who mean the most to you how far you've come and feel proud of you.

There are 2 parts to graduation – a formal dinner and a parade.

• The graduation dinner is with your fellow LSV trainees and the NZ Defence Force staff. You are served a 3-course meal, with awards and speeches from NZ Defence Force staff.
• The graduation parade is held on the last day of the course, and your family and friends can attend, with an invitation. The parade includes a pōwhiri, and then the trainees perform marching displays. There are awards presented to LSV trainees, a speech from your commanding officer and the LSV haka.

Photos are taken at both events, which are shared on the camp's Facebook page.

Support after the course

By the end of the LSV course, you have:

• the determination to change your life
• new skills and new friends
• motivation and confidence to find a job
• made yourself and others proud.

After the course, we regularly check how you're doing and talk about what we can do to help you reach your goals.

We also help you carry on meeting the goals you set for yourself during the course. We can help you find somewhere new to live, stick to your routine or offer encouragement and mental health support.

You can also keep in touch with other people from the course and see how you're all doing.

Finding a job or training

When you leave LSV, you:

• have a CV, with a reference from Work and Income
• know how to write a cover letter
• have NZQA credits and a first aid certificate
• know how to talk to employers and have job interviews
• have the kind of skills and qualities that employers look for, like reliability and positivity
• can look forward to getting a job.

During the course, you meet different employers. Some of them may offer you a job when you leave LSV. A lot of employers know about LSV and really value the personal qualities young people develop during this course.

You can also talk to us if there's a certain job you want to do or a specific place you want to work.

If you want to do training or study, we talk to you about what you want to do and help you apply.

We make sure you have what you need to start work. We can help with things like:

• getting a driver licence
• paying for gear or equipment
• helping you move to somewhere closer to work.