05 December 2014
The first Jersey Skills Show, organised by Careers Jersey and sponsored by Andium Homes, will take place on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 January 2015 at Fort Regent.
The event will take a new approach to the traditional careers fair, allowing people to try their hand at a variety of skills that relate to different careers. For example, anyone who is about to start work or who wants to explore a different career will be able to try, among other things:
- firearms training and crime scene investigation, if they are interested in joining the police
- personal shopping and window dressing, if they are interested in retail
- life in Accident & Emergency, if they are considering a medical career
- building a wall and driving a JCB, if they want to work in construction
- being a television presenter
- cocktail making and napkin folding, if they want a career in hospitality
There will also be advice on how to take the next step into the world of work, and organisations are being asked to get involved as exhibitors.
On Friday 16 January, the Jersey Skills Show will be specifically for pupils who are considering their GCSEs and A levels; on Saturday, the show will be open to everyone.
It’s free to attend and the event area will be split into industry sectors, each of which will aim to bring their area to life so that attendees can learn in an engaging and inspiring way.
Head of Careers and Lifelong Learning at ESC, Andy Gibbs, said: “The Jersey Skills Show is a unique shop window and gives people a real chance to find out what it might be like working in a particular job. The idea is to try something before you make a decision about which direction to follow.”
Education, Sport and Culture Minister, Deputy Rod Bryans, said: “It’s a great idea to make the search for a career more inspiring, more real and more of a creative process. Providing practical experiences for people will help them visualise the kind of job and lifestyle they really want and, I hope, will encourage them to aim high and maybe push themselves to take opportunities they might not have considered otherwise.”
The aim of the event is to give attendees the opportunity to:
- learn about a wide variety of skills and career opportunities on-Island
- speak to employers about working in different industries
- have a go at different skills and discover new talents
- be inspired by the talents of those already trained and working in an industry
- find out about education, training and apprenticeships (where appropriate)
Client Engagement and Communications Director at Andium Homes, Dominique Caunce, said: “Andium Homes is delighted to be sponsoring the Jersey Skills Show in 2015, which will offer students and members of the general public the chance to learn about a huge variety of skills and career opportunities. We are pleased that the show coincides with the launch of our bursary scheme, which demonstrates our commitment to developing talent and encouraging students to pursue a career in the affordable housing sector.”
Anyone interested in exhibiting at the event can contact Sophie Winter on s.winter@gov.je for further information.
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