Thousands of Hull jobseekers look to find work at Guildhall event
THOUSANDS of jobseekers have queued to meet potential employers as almost 10 per cent of Hull's working age population remain unemployed.
More than 2,000 people attended the city's biggest jobs fair at the Guildhall in a bid to get into work.
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helping hand: More than 2,000 people attended the city's biggest jobs fair at the Guildhall in a bid to find work. Pictures: Peter Harbour
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tips: Left, from left, recruitment co-ordinator Jo Westwood talking to Isobel Rowland and Sue Flintoft at the M&S stall. Right, from left, Alan Johnson MP, Job Centre Plus district manager Stuart Griffiths and HR manager Samantha Joniec on the SGS stall.
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The fair, organised by Hull City Council and Job Centre Plus, allowed people to meet employers face-to-face and discuss potential job opportunities as providing them with information about careers in various industries.
Isabel Rowland, 23, of Bransholme, has been looking for work for more than two months.
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She said: "I don't have access to the internet at home so to be able to come down here and meet potential employers and hand them my CV in person is great.
"You can get a lot more information about companies and what jobs are available by talking to someone than you can do online.
"I have applied for countless jobs but got no replies, so this gives me the chance to ask questions and get tips on applying for jobs."
According to the Department for Work and Pensions, 14,873 people in Hull were claiming Jobseekers' Allowance last month, the equivalent to 8.2 per cent of the city's working age population.
Stuart Griffiths, district manager at Job Centre Plus, said the fair highlights the potential opportunities for both employers and employees in Hull.
He said: "The city has a lot of talented and skilled people who are eager and ready to work. By holding events like this, we are hoping to reduce the levels of unemployment in the city and help more people into work.
"The job fair is not just an opportunity for people to meet potential employers, it is about providing them with the confidence and drive to keep searching for jobs.
"Giving people the chance to meet employers face-to-face allows them to develop relationships and contacts."
Companies used the fair to advertise their current vacancies as well as temporary and seasonal work.
Sue Flintoft, 39, of Bransholme, has been looking for work for almost two years.
She said: "Searching for jobs is difficult, especially when you are not getting any feedback on your applications, but having a lot of employers with a range of different vacancies at one event is a great idea.
"You can find out exactly what they are looking for and get advice on applying for positions.
"Having so many employers here shows there is work out there, which is something a lot of people are not aware of."
People also had the chance to enrol onto further education courses at the fair.
Gemma Slater, administrator at YH Training Services Limited, said job fairs are a fantastic way to link education with employment.
She said: "A lot of people find themselves out of work through no fault of their own and therefore require new skills in order to pursue a new career.
"We help people take the next step in their development and us being at job fairs will hopefully inspire them to undertake a career they may not have thought was possible."
Comments
by Yelrubsol
Friday, October 19 2012, 9:30AM
“IllaGhee1
Yeah, I know what you mean. I applied for a job as an accountant. But the job centre said I needed an accountancy qualification, first. So I asked them to give me one. And the job centre wouldn't just give me one. They expected me to study at a college, and pass an exam, first. Then come back and apply for an accountancy job. It's just shocking, it really is.”
by IllaGhee1
Monday, October 15 2012, 6:34PM
“oh this is one of the best from the jobcentre it goes like this. Me. Hello i am in need of a cscs card as one is needed for all sites for general labouring jobs. JSA. you need to actually have a start for a job to be able to get a cscs card. Me. How can i apply for a job that needs a cscs card and you wont give me one until i get the job. JSA. Shoulders shrug er.. no answer. They expect you to be successful in applying for a job that needs a qualification when they wont give you the qualification until you get the job. Thats the kinda monkeys where dealing with here please god help us.”
by StagChilli
Sunday, October 14 2012, 7:38PM
“Why bother at all no point most employers hire through agencies and most of the positions are filled by people from outside the UK.”
by Doggedybrown
Sunday, October 14 2012, 7:38PM
“The only way this government will learn people cannot afford to live is if EVERYBODY and I mean absolutely EVERYBODY cancelled their direct debits for their council tax, if EVERYBODY filled their cars up with £60 of petrol and only handed over £15, if EVERYBODY went to Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's or whoever, bought £150 of monthly shopping and by refusing to pay the VAT, only gave them £120!
THAT is the way to wake them up.
STOP PAYING THEM.
As long as the cretins in power are seeing their own wages (and expense claims) unaffected, they will remain unaffected. They are that arrogant they will assume everything is rosey.
They need us on the bottom rung more than we realise.”
by hugostiglitz
Sunday, October 14 2012, 2:28PM
“Rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic springs to mind, it makes the bureaucrats & the people with quango jobs look good.”
by jezhull
Sunday, October 14 2012, 10:59AM
“When Germany looked like going into recession, their government made millions of Euros available for construction companies to build affordable houses and this had a knock on effect in kickstarting their economy.
Our government gives millions in foreign aid to corrupt regimes all around the world, whilst we have 1 in 4 young people unemployed, elderly people having to sell their homes to pay for care and soup kitchens in most towns and cities.
Commonsense and fairness do not exist in Britain anymore, we're run by a bunch of tory toffs who have never had to struggle in their lives.”
by Yelrubsol
Sunday, October 14 2012, 9:39AM
“I've been to a jobs fair in Hull before. They are rubbish. They are mainly an opportunity for agencies to get people to fill extensive forms in, to get onto their books.
It's not a jobs fair, it's a candidate fair, for people to make themselves available for jobs, should they exist. The same could be achieved by just registering with local employment agencies, checking jobs boards, monster, the one on the HDM website etc (other jobs boards are available), and jobcentreplus/going into the job centre and checking jobs listed there, too.”
by francis31
Saturday, October 13 2012, 11:34PM
“yes lets have a figure of the jobs given out at the jobs fair if at all any and how many are fulltime could the hull daily mail get us this info i wunder???”
by Telkom
Saturday, October 13 2012, 11:15PM
“At the height of the 1930's depression in America, President Roosevelt spent government money in grand job creation schemes i.e. roadworks, dams, agriculture, etc...,in order to give people an income and some hope for better times ahead. What have most western governments done in comparison to date ? Cut costs wherever possible ,except for bankers and big business. Spineless or what ? I'd be interested to know how many jobs result from Job fairs like these.”
by IllaGhee1
Saturday, October 13 2012, 6:50PM
“Until this government starts training the unemployed for jobs that they need new skills for it isnt going to change a thing lets face it there is a lot of jobs out there just not enough people are qualified to do them. If they spend £500-£1000 on a qualification to get something that they know there is vacancies in that industry right now then that might actually help people. Lets face it £1000 is 2 months on JSA with housing benefit and council tax benefit. They can either pay that or ill still be sayin this same time next year.”