The first Warwickshire Skills Show, a dedicated careers event for young people aged 11-18, was held earlier this week to support future careers choices.
Over 1500 local students attended the Warwickshire Skills Show, organised by Warwickshire County Council’s Skills Hub, and had the valuable opportunity to gain hands on experiences and talk directly with over 80 local employers, enabling them to learn more about the range of employers, roles and routes into future employment.
The event aligned with the Warwickshire Employment and Skills Strategy, focussing on working with young people throughout their education to inspire their future career opportunities alongside working with businesses to understand the labour market and create multiple pathways into employment:
Over 25 schools from across the county were welcomed throughout the day. Emma Mitchell, Careers Lead at Higham Lane School, said:
“This event was a fantastic opportunity for our young people. There was a wide range of businesses there showcasing the different types of roles they have available. The interactive elements allowed our young people to get hand on experience of the roles, and it also gave the students direct access to employers to ask specific questions. Overall, it was a great way for them to expand their horizons while thinking about their next steps.”
Tatum, a Year 10 pupils from Higham Lane added:
“The Skills Show has been useful to help me understand more about what I need to do for my future career. I’m interested in a career in medicine and I’ve had the opportunity to visit the NHS stand and talk to them about work experience opportunities and get more information about what I need to do to enter that field.”
During the day there was a dedicated SEND hour, tailored to reflect the engagement needs of Warwickshire’s SEND young students, the hour was much quieter with support available from the Skills Hub team to guide young people to employers of interest.
The evening was open to young people and their parents and carers allowing for those who attend an alternative provision or are home schooled the opportunity to attend the event.
Councillor Rob Howard, Portfolio Holder for Economy at Warwickshire County Council, said:
“The event was a fantastic opportunity to share the wide range of career opportunities and support for Warwickshire’s young people.
“The engagement between the Skills Hub, Warwickshire’s young people and businesses provides the opportunity to bridge that gap between the skills needed for the roles and the skills of the young people. This is a great partnership that helps to prepare our young people for the future and discover the wide range of roles and career opportunities here in Warwickshire.”
To find out more about the continued support for young people, visit the Career Hub website.