Pendle Careers Expo hailed a success

The first Pendle Careers Expo has been hailed a huge success by employers, students and visitors looking to network and find out more about opportunities with Nelson and Colne College.

The new event was designed to give employers the opportunity to scout potential future stars and learn about the Apprenticeship levy, while students and visitors had the chance to speak to NCC’s expert Apprenticeship Team and 30 businesses, from a broad spectrum of sectors, about their future.

Businesses engaged with students and visitors on Apprenticeships and work experience, volunteering and employment opportunities. Attendees also browsed and applied for a selection of live vacancies and took advantage of a choice of 'Hot Topic' workshops on the benefits of Apprenticeships, interview techniques and CV development.

Prior to the main Expo event, Richard Slater from Lancashire Business View hosted Q&A session in Farringtons Restaurant for employers at the event, and Iain Logan from the Manchester Growth Fund gave a keynote speech on the new Apprenticeship levy.

NCC’s director of apprenticeships and training, Barbara Livesey, said: “The Pendle Careers Expo was a brilliant night and it was a fantastic showcase of the vast range of employment opportunities we have here on the doorstep in Pendle. We have received some lovely feedback from employers and visitors and are looking forward to developing this event even further for the future.

“Anybody who was unable to attend the Expo but would like to explore Apprenticeships with NCC or learn more about live vacancies, work experience and volunteering opportunities, please get in touch with the Apprenticeship Team. Likewise, if you are an employer, please speak to one of our team of experts for guidance on the Apprenticeship levy as we are here to help you.”

One of those employers present at the Expo was Simon Stead, who is people director at internationally renowned Barrowford lighting company acdc.

He said: “The Expo was an extremely worthwhile event for acdc. Our stand was very busy and we spoke to lots of people about what we do and what we can offer in terms of advice and guidance in their careers.

“We really want to support the community and establish some of our core values and we have recently become the Enterprise Advisor for the College which has had a really positive start.

“We have a number of our employees currently being upskilled by beginning an Institute of Leadership qualification and our role as a company will see us supporting with the promotion of internships, offering work experience to students and providing advice and guidance on careers.”

NCC is number one in the country for its work with apprentices aged 16-18 and is also second nationally for its overall Apprenticeship provision.

Level 3 Business student Martyna Bielicka, 18, made the most of the Expo. She said: “I went to the event looking at Business Administration positions. I found the Expo very useful and it was really helpful to see the range of offers available and speak to employers directly. “It was also a good experience as I was able to build up my confidence for interviews and improve my CV.”