Thousands helped at local jobs fair

Staff from Jobcentre Plus at the successful Jobsfair 2008

More than two thousand people attended the Rochdale’s annual jobs fair today (Thursday 11 September) to meet with employers and find out about job opportunities within the town.

Jobsfair 2008 was held at Rochdale Town Hall and even before the event opened there were hundreds of people queuing outside to get in.

Among those exhibiting were Argos, Zen, TK Maxx, Boots, BUPA, Woolworths and public sector organisations like the council, police, armed forces and health trust. There was also support on offer from agencies like Employment Links Partnership and Jobcentre Plus.

Councillor Mohammad Sharif, cabinet member for regeneration on Rochdale Council, said: “It was a very busy day at the Town Hall and I was delighted to see so many people coming to find out about employment opportunities and about the support available to help them apply for and get a job. The day has far exceeded our expectations – we even had to print out more registration forms as we’d run out by lunchtime!”

The free event was organised by Rochdale Council’s Employment Links Partnership and Jobcentre Plus. As well as local employers with jobs on offer, there were also training service providers on hand to talk to people about developing skills and increasing their chance of finding a better job.