Jobseekers gather at Swale Jobs Fair

1st October 2012
Jobseekers gather at Swale Jobs Fair

Over 850 unemployed people in Sittingbourne, Sheppey and Faversham visited the Wyvern Hall on Wednesday 26th September to attend the Swale Jobs Fair hosted by Gordon Henderson MP.

The Jobs Fair, which was open from 10am until 4pm, had 38 exhibitors present with some 500 jobs on offer including approximately 300 for the new Morrison’s supermarket currently being built in Sittingbourne, 70 jobs with the new Best Western Coniston Hotel opening on 8th October 2012 and 60 jobs with a number of local Care Homes. There were also a number of manufacturing, engineering and production jobs on offer.

In total over 1,100 people came through the doors of the hall, which included, in addition to those who were unemployed, school leavers and members of the public looking for a change of career or to improve their skills.

Mr Henderson, who opened the Jobs Fair and spent time talking to a number of visitors said:

“The Swale Jobs Fair was a fantastic success and I would like to congratulate my Constituency Manager, John Burke, and my caseworker, Mathew McGill, for all the hard work that went into the organisation of what was acknowledged to be the best such event in Kent.

“The event attracted 38 companies, all with jobs to offer, and the Wyvern Hall was really buzzing all day with people looking for work. I was immensely impressed with the commitment and support offered by all the staff of JobCentre Plus, who worked closely with my office both on the day and prior to the Jobs Fair to ensure the day was such a success.

“I would like to thank also the companies that took part in the Jobs Fair and those organisations without whose sponsorship the event could not have taken place, including Swale Borough Council, Kent County Council, Swale Heating and Shepherd Neame.”

“The enthusiasm of those seeking work and careers was evident from the many comments placed by visitors on the Jobs Fair comments board. 'Bang tidy' was one of the compliments we received and pretty well summed up the feeling of those for whom we organised the event!”

John Cubitt, Deputy Cabinet Member for Education, Learning and Skills at Kent County Council added:

“The Swale Jobs Fair was a great success and I’m looking forward to seeing how many jobseekers are successful in gaining employment over the next few months, as a result of the event.

“The local MP’s input in the organisation was a major factor in the Jobs Fair’s success and the combination of organisations working together culminated in many people being inspired. This is a model which could be used all across Kent and could ultimately bring unemployment down.”