A festival designed to inspire people to choose a career in construction, engineering, armed forces, utilities or nuclear in Cumbria has been dubbed a major success after attracting over 1,000 visitors.
The Festival of Work was hosted by All Together Cumbria at Lakes College in partnership with CITB and saw secondary school pupils attend from across the county for the all-day event.
The pupils explored the college’s campus at Lillyhall, near Workington, and met with more than 60 employers across industries as well as finding out about training and education opportunities at Lakes College.
Attendees also took part in interactive workshops, including trying their hand at programming and VR in the new £1 million Digital Accelerator Hub at the college, learning about transferable skills with Arup, and completing a CV clinic run by Sir Robert McAlpine.
Andy Dodds, social enterprise manager at All Together Cumbria, said: “We were delighted with the success of the Festival of Work.
“It is really important that we showcase the careers available in the local area, inspiring the next generation, while also highlighting the wide range of job opportunities for those looking to start, progress or change their careers.
“It’s been fantastic to see the number of schools, employers and organisations that have got on board to support the Festival of Work.”
The college said the festival had proved a hit with both schools and employers, who praised the event for demonstrating what Cumbria has to offer and providing inspiration to those unsure about their next steps.
Chris Nattress, principal at Lakes College, added: “This year’s Festival of Work was even bigger and better than the first and brought a huge buzz to our campus all day.
“This event has been a shining example of how we work in partnership with employers to successfully engage with people from right across our communities in opportunities for careers, education and training.
“It was fantastic to see so many young people enjoying the interactive workshops, exploring our top-class facilities and having meaningful conversations with employers and our staff about career opportunities in our area.
“My thanks to everyone for making it such a brilliant event.”
The afternoon was dedicated to adults attending to meet face-to-face with employers and finding out about current vacancies in the area across key sectors.
Maddie Nutt, who is a pupil at St Benedict’s School, said she had enjoyed the opportunity to speak with employers and organisations including the Royal Navy.
She said: “It’s given me some ideas for future careers to think about.”
The Festival of Work was sponsored by employers from across Cumbria including Morgan Sindall Construction, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, Shearwater, CITB, Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick, Lakes College, Sellafield Ltd, AE Yates and Jacobs.
