MORE than 350 people attended Urmston’s first job fair at Urmston Library earlier this month to find out about one of the 300 job, training and volunteering opportunities on offer from 30 businesses.

Organised by the Urmston Employment Hub, which includes partners from Trafford Council, Trafford College and The Urmston Partnership, the fair is set to become a regular occurrence on the back of its success.

A second fair is planned for September 4 at Hotel Football from 12noon to 4pm. There is still time for employers to host a table at the next event to register visit: www.investintrafford.com/TraffordPledge/Trafford-Pledge-Events.aspx

Executive Member for Housing and Strategic Planning, Cllr David Hopps, said: "This event was a fantastic success and provided a great opportunity for so many local people. Although Trafford has low unemployment rates, there are a number of job seekers and those seeking a change in career. "The job fair has enabled those seeking employment to meet potential employers face to face which is a rare opportunity in the recruitment process.

"It is clear there are opportunities out there for job seekers, including work experience and training, and I am pleased with the overall response from candidates and employers who have a commitment to getting Trafford people into work and training. I look forward to the next event and of hearing about the success stories.”

Among the companies exhibiting at the event was Amey PLC which delivers the council’s environmental, infrastructure and highway services under the One Trafford Partnership. Andrew Turner, account manager at Amey, said: “As a local employer we are keen to recruit as locally as we can for the One Trafford Partnership. We believe in putting people first, and attending local job fairs allows us to find local talent to help us deliver great service. The event at Urmston Library was a fantastic opportunity to meet local residents and was really well attended. We will be attending the remaining events scheduled this year and look forward to meeting more people interested in working with us to make Trafford a great place to live.”

A wide range of sectors were offering opportunities on the day including Chill Factorᵉ. Hannah Sharpe HR Administration and Training Coordinator at Chill Factorᵉ, said: “The afternoon had a fantastic turn out and we very much enjoyed meeting local residents and job seekers to showcase the roles available at Chill Factorᵉ. The fair provided an excellent opportunity for local residents and companies to meet and connect and we would definitely be interested in attending future events.”

David Mackereth secretary of The Urmston Partnership, said: "This was our first Job Fair in Urmston and we (The Urmston Partnership) did not know what response we would receive from potential Employers or Job Seekers. The attendance of 30 businesses and almost 350 Job Seekers was better than we had ever hoped for. This was the first event organised by The Urmston Partnership using the funding provided by the now defunct Urmston Community Panel and it exceeded all our expectations.” For more information about the event as either an attendee or exhibitor, email: employment@trafford.gov.uk