Dozens of people descended on Carlisle College for the return of the city’s annual skills fair – including a Government minister.
There were about 60 exhibitors who set up stalls, showcasing the opportunities they have on offer, from Armstrong Watson to McVitie’s.
The annual event, established and organised by Carlisle MP John Stevenson, saw a visit from Work and Pensions Secretary Thérèse Coffey.
“It is amazing this is the eighth Carlisle Skills Fair and I know that due to COVID that hampered it for a couple of years but it is now back on track,” said Dr Coffey.
“It’s great to see so many exhibitors here, very keen to get people thinking and focussing on their skills so they can get great quality work, and it’s exciting.
“John invited me a few months ago and I’m delighted. And it just so happens it coincides with the launch of Way to Work.”
What is Way to Work?
The visit to Carlisle College coincided with the launch of the Department for Work and Pensions’ Way to Work campaign, which will see jobseekers on universal credit penalised sooner for failing to look for jobs outside their chosen field.
Critics say it will force jobseekers into roles they do not want to do, while others say it fails to get to the heart of the issues surrounding unemployment.
“I think what is special about Way to Work is, and we’ve learned some lessons from Kickstart, which was the jobs programme focused on young people, is trying to accelerate process and bring employers back into the jobcentre,” said Dr Coffey.
“Perhaps instead of somebody being sifted out quite quickly with their CV that might not be quite up to scratch, actually trying to matchmake between our customers (claimants) and employers directly.
“We’ve got more people on company payrolls than there were pre-COVID. But there are still over a million vacancies.
“John was telling me about a hospitality business that isn’t operating at full capacity and basically they’ve got 200 vacancies. Not directly in Carlisle, it’s a little bit further away, but nevertheless, good opportunities and we want to try and bring that process together.
“So, good for employers. And the benefit for the jobseekers is they’ll be better off working than not working, both financially, but also as one of the challenges people are facing in terms of mental wellbeing. So we are stepping up that intervention to try and help people find their way to work.”
Delighted with visit
The MP for Carlisle welcomed the visit from the minister.
“I am absolutely delighted the Secretary of State has come up to the skills fair to speak to students, employers and skills providers, it is really positive and it’s an endorsement of what we are doing up in Carlisle that the Secretary of State is happy to come up,” said Mr Stevenson.
“I think the visit has gone down really well and she has seen a very positive side of the diverse nature of the Carlisle economy.”
Hosting the event for the first time was Carlisle College.
“We are so massively excited to be able to host the event,” said Sarah McGrath, principal at Carlisle College.
“It is the first event of this scale we’ve hosted since COVID and it’s amazing to have such a buzz about the place again.
“There are so many exhibitors here to show people the opportunities locally, both in terms of jobs, training and courses.”
