Jobs hunters pour into fair

Councillor Keith Swift with Mal Nolan and Nicola Keogh from Rochdale Council’s Economic Affairs Unit, Laura Barrett, from Job Centre Plus and Shelia Pilling from Rochdale CVS

Enthusiastic job hunters braved an early morning deluge to get the first shot at the job and training opportunities on offer at the borough’s Jobs and Skills Fair 2010.

Throughout the day (Tuesday 14 September), nearly 1200 people crowded into the Middleton Arena to pursue new jobs and careers.

In their sights were 40 employers including Zen, LBM, JD Williams, Ibex Marina, the British Army, the Royal Navy, Greater Manchester Police and Fire Services, Riverside Housing, Apex Nursing, Pure Innovations and the Pennine Acute Hospital Trust.

All the major training providers in the borough were also on hand to offer information and advice about courses, apprenticeships and volunteering opportunities.

Councillor Keith Swift, cabinet member for skills and economic regeneration on Rochdale Borough Council, said: “It was great to see so many people at this year’s Jobs and Skills Fair and brilliant to see their commitment to searching out new job opportunities, building their careers and gaining new skills. Local employers and training providers were also out in force demonstrating their ambition not only to offer jobs but help local people find careers, realise their full potential and transform the borough by improving their skills.”

Mears Care, a national care services company with 1700 care workers in the North West, was looking to recruit full and part-time care workers. At the fair, their Operations Manager for the North West, Heidi Sanchez said: “The fair is fantastic, I’m really impressed. We’re getting a very high calibre of potential candidate, with 23 expressions of interest and six confirmed interviews.”