Hundreds of people flocked to Lakes College’s Employer and Careers Fair to make the event an overwhelming success.
Dozens of employers, including Sellafield Ltd, the NHS, Jacobs, Morgan Sindall and Doosan Babcock, visited Lakes College for an inspiring afternoon of sharing valuable careers advice and promoting apprenticeships and current vacancies in Cumbria.
Attendees mingled with employers and supporting organisations such as Inspira, BECBC and Women in Nuclear as a buzz built around the fair – with Sellafield Ltd’s robot dog Spot also proving a highlight for many visitors to the National College for Nuclear at Lakes College.
Chris Nattress, principal of Lakes College, said: “We work very closely with employers throughout our region in support of their skills and talent needs so it was fantastic to see the careers fair absolutely buzzing, with so many students talking directly to prospective employers.
“These are great signs for the talent pipeline coming through in our part of the world.”
The event was one of the first major events of its kind in the county since the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions and employers welcomed the opportunity to see and speak to their potential workforce of the future.
Philip Allison, practice manager at robinson+co, said it had been a ‘great afternoon’ to meet with both college teams, other employers and people looking for their next career step.
“We didn’t know what to expect but with the fact that it has been really busy, I think you would have to say it has been a success,” he said.
“It is great that there’s a wide range of industries and we’ve seen a healthy mix of visitors from different interests.”
Aaron Clark, technical section lead at TSP Engineering, added: “It’s been good being able to engage with people face-to-face.
“We did get a fair bit of interest and overall it was good chatting with people about what Cumbria has to offer.”
Ian MacDonald, regional apprentice manager at Persimmon Homes, added: “It has been fairly steady throughout.
“We’ve got apprenticeship vacancies and we have apprentices with Lakes College so it was well worthwhile coming.”
