Newbury College played host to the annual West Berkshire Work and Careers Fair on Thursday 25 March. The fair, which gathered over 55 organisations with both work and training opportunities for people in West Berkshire, was officially opened by Newbury College Principal Dr Anne Murdoch OBE.
Following on from the success of last year, this event is the largest of its kind staged locally and is produced under the direction of the West Berkshire Skills and Enterprise Partnership with the support of Newbury College.
Dawn Ray of dawnrayconsulting who organised the fair said, "The event this year has been the most successful to date in terms of number of exhibitors and visitors throughout the day. The Careers Fair is a great way for people of all ages and skills to speak to advisors and employers about possible career options and to gain advice".
With over 55 exhibitors, the Work and Careers Fair has brought together businesses and organisations from a wide range of sectors who are actively offering opportunities via apprenticeships, full and part time jobs, internships and voluntary work. Amongst the exhibitors, some of the big names included Barclays, Bayer, John Lewis, Newbury Racecourse, Sovereign Housing, JobCentre Plus, Vodafone, WBTC and Wetherspoons.
Newbury College Principal Dr Anne Murdoch OBE was delighted with the turn out of the fair, "Newbury College is pleased to once again host the West Berkshire Work and Careers Fair. The event has been fantastic with many employers recruiting for jobs in their organisations. The visitor numbers exceeded our expectations with more than 500 visitors attending throughout the day, and we look forward to some very positive outcomes for both exhibitors and individuals looking for jobs. We hope that visitors and employers alike will view the video of the event which can be found on Newbury College's website".
In addition to meeting employers, there were a series of workshops and one to one sessions taking place throughout the day offering advice on successful job hunting, help for self-employed, how to start your own business, writing CVs and preparing for interviews as well as learning how to effectively job search.