This month’s inaugural health and care careers festival was such a success that it could become an annual event.
Organised by the Isle of Wight Council in partnership with the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, around 800 people attended the Lord Louis Library in Newport last Wednesday (20th September) to hear more about career opportunities from across the sector.
More than 25 exhibitors supported the festival and many commented positively on the diverse cross-section of ages and backgrounds of those attending.
It included young people from St George’s School, students at HTP, and health and social care students from the Isle of Wight College, as well as people who were looking to change careers from hospitality and retail, new parents looking to return to the workforce and a number of retired individuals looking to give back to the community.
Many comments were made throughout the day from visitors and exhibitors on what a welcoming space the library provided and how accessible it was.
Katy Harwood, the Council’s recruitment team leader, said:
“It was such a positive event and it was fantastic to see so many people exploring the variety of careers available in the health and care sector on the Island. Seeing everyone come together, united in attracting potential staff to all our roles was really special.
“Our own Council teams conducted interviews and made job offers throughout the day which was a fantastic result.
Article continues below this advertisement “The Prince’s Trust deserve special mention; not only did they provide the funding for the event, they engaged on the day with all employers and visitors to ensure everyone aged between 16-30 was aware they could access free employability support, and I know our local employers will be keen to connect with them more in the future.
“Exhibitors all agreed this should be a yearly event, and we are looking forward to making it bigger and better next year.”
The Council and Trust would like to thank everyone who helped to make the event such a success, including the Job Centre Plus team.
