A skills fair will held in Workington next month to help young people achieve their potential.
Organised by Workington MP Mark Jenkinson, it will be held at Workington Leisure Centre on Thursday, February 9.
It will promote training and job opportunities across the constituency and is Mr Jenkinson’s first skills fair, but he hopes it will become a yearly event.
Daniel Dutton, head of student recruitment and outreach at University of Cumbria, said: “We are delighted to be taking part in the first Workington Skills Fair and look forward to meeting all of the young people attending. We have a wide range of courses on offer and our staff will be on hand to answer questions and provide support and guidance.”
Rachel Wlodarczak, head of employment and skills at Cumbria LEP, will also be at the event. She said “Cumbria LEP is really pleased to be sponsoring the Workington Skills Fair as our businesses really need people with the right skills to help our economy to grow.
“It’s an excellent opportunity for the LEP to outline what support is available to both businesses and individuals including skills bootcamps, apprenticeships and our Careers Hub, which is designed to link the world of education with the world of work.”
Representatives from Inspira, the career management and personal development organisation, will also be on hand to provide advice.
Deborah Naylor, area operations manager said: “Inspira is really keen to support this much needed event, that will help many young people and adults to find the job they want and give them invaluable advice about how to make the best of opportunities available.”
Mr Jenkinson said: “It is really encouraging to see so many organisations getting involved.
“I am grateful to all the sponsors for their support and their support and engagement. This bodes very well for the future of this event – and my hope is that we can build momentum and grow this event in future years.
“Ultimately, I would like this to become an annual event promoting talent, raising aspiration, and helping thousands of young people and jobseekers access training and apprenticeship opportunities across the constituency.”
There will be employers from a variety of trades including engineering, construction, business administration, childcare, education, tourism as well as representatives from higher and further education providers.
Sponsors and exhibitors include Holmen Iggesund, the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, Lakes College, University of Cumbria, Gen2, JTL Training, the Cumberland, Sizewell C, and Energus.
The fair runs from 3pm to 7pm.
