MORE than 20 employers large and small gave 600 Wiltshire College & Education Centre students valuable advice at the Chippenham campus’ Careers Fair, organised in partnership with MP Sarah Gibson.
Recruiters, managers and staff from 22 organisations, including Siemens, Mitie, Wiltshire Police and Wiltshire Council, met students to talk about the careers they have to offer and the skills they look for – and to hear about their aspirations.
The Chippenham MP spoke to students about building a career in Wiltshire before meeting employers over tea and coffee after the event to find out more about their skills needs. Motivational speaker Junior Saunders spoke to students about making themselves an attractive candidate, making a CV stand out and how to interact with employers.
The college’s Careers Lead, Alex Critchley, said the fair gave students the opportunity to talk to people in the job about the roles they are interested in. “It’s these encounters that make the biggest impact with students because they will provide a role model and they’ll be able to ask questions of someone who’s actually in the career they want.
“These conversations might just influence a student’s decision-making by planting a seed and it gives them the confidence that if they get the qualifications they can eventually get into the role they want – it sets out a path for them.”
He said the event also gives employers access to students and the opportunity to impress them. “We have a lot of smaller employers who have really relevant job opportunities that our students may otherwise not find out about,” said Alex.
“And with the bigger companies, speaking to their staff can make a career with them seem more attainable to students.”
Another benefit of spending time talking to employers for students is gaining insight into the behaviours and attitudes they are looking for. “They can get across the way they want our students to communicate with them and what they expect from them in the workplace, and that is really valuable for them,” said Alex.
The college has been working hard at building on its good relationships with employers across the area. “Fairs like this are a great way of showcasing the good connections we have with employers and they tell us they feel it is important for them to be here,” said Alex.
One of the companies represented was LWCF Drinks, based on the Porte March Industrial Estate in Calne. Millie Perkins, who works in sales support, said the fair was a useful way to promote the company. “The event is really good, it’s great to meet so many new people, so many different personalities and put our apprenticeship opportunities out there,” she said.
“We have lots of opportunities for students, including warehouse apprenticeships, so dealing with logistics and also office based, so dealing with administration and some sales roles. There is also the opportunity for further progression post apprenticeships, we offer jobs once apprentices have completed and so that provides the chance for salary progression, which is an incentive, and career growth within the company.”
Dan Baker, who works at Siemens in Chippenham, said he enjoyed chatting to students about his degree apprenticeship with the company.
“I’m a systems engineer and I wasn’t too sure which engineering department I wanted to go into but because Siemens is such a big company, you can rotate around different placements,” he said.
“I’ve done everything from manufacturing, design and testing and it’s given me a very well-rounded perspective of what engineering is within such a big company. I would always recommend that to people who aren’t too sure what they want to do to get that experience and then decide at the end what suits them.”
Colleague Luke Davis, a graduate engineer, added: “I really enjoyed the event, lots of students were interested in getting to know our apprenticeships and graduate schemes and asking about the company and the opportunities there are.
“The opportunities you get on the graduate scheme in terms of training and learning is very beneficial. The scheme is for two years, so you’re given the best opportunity to pick up what the company is about and learn about all the different departments. I think an important thing is the support you get and the expectation of learning and developing.”
