HUNDREDS of young people will get the chance to shape their career paths when they meet potential employers at Wiltshire College & University Centre’s Appren-T-Fest this week.
The event will bring 20 employers from across the area to talk about their apprenticeship opportunities when they meet more than 400 Year 10 and 11 pupils on Wednesday at the college’s Trowbridge campus.
National employers attending will include the Army, the RAF and Network Rail, with many more from the area, including Cross Manufacturing in Devizes, Novuna Vehicle Solutions in Trowbridge, Westek Technology in Melksham and Wessex Water taking part.
WCUC works with almost 1,000 employers and enrols around 700 new apprentices each year. At any one time there are around 2,000 students under its guidance on apprenticeship schemes.
Director of Business Development Martin Reeves said the event, held in conjunction with the Swindon and Wiltshire Careers Hub, is a unique chance for young people to find out about exciting job prospects right on their doorstep, with time to talk face to face with managers and owners who are looking for apprentices.
“There is this perception that young people have to move out of the county for university or to start the career they want but having all of these fantastic employers here under one roof can be a real revelation and inspiration for them,” he said.
“Every year I see the young people grow in confidence as they chat to businesses about how an apprenticeship can offer them brilliant hands-on experience while they are learning and they get a foot taller as they talk and realise what’s on offer.”
One of the stars of the event will be motivational speaker Junior Saunders, who will be talking to pupils about getting ready for a career. “He’ll be talking about making yourself an attractive candidate,” said Employer Engagement Consultant Deb Narraway. “He’ll talk about how to write a CV and interact with employers and trying to empower young people to use their life experience and transfer it into work experience.
“The key theme for the event is resilience and being able to teach young people how to be resilient when they’re applying for jobs – to keep persevering and learning from setbacks.”
Wendy Dorking, Head of HR at military computer hardware producer Westek Technology, said she is looking forward to the event. “We find it valuable because it’s an opportunity to meet students and speak to them directly to them so they know about what we do, but also for us to find out what they’re looking for in employers,” she said.
“We can then make sure that what we’re doing in terms of attracting and recruiting people is in alignment.
“Without going to something like this, we wouldn’t get the opportunity to talk directly to students and it’s also good to meet other employers and get to see what they’re doing and how they’re presenting themselves.”
Find out more about apprenticeships at WCUC here.
