An innovative approach to recruitment has been helping young people in Calderdale to find employment.
Earlier this year, the Calderdale Youth Reverse Jobs Fair took place at Orange Box Young People’s Centre in Halifax. The event was hosted by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), in partnership with Calderdale Council’s Employment Hub.
This was an employment event with a twist – rather than companies having stalls, the candidates had the chance to showcase their skills, abilities and confidence to local employers.
The Council and DWP ensured a good range of employers were in attendance, Young people from across Calderdale attended the event and spoke with a wide range of organisations including representatives from Elland Steel, Transdev, Lloyds Banking, Sure Care, BAM Nuttall and Sniffers Pet Care.
The Councils Employment Hub, with support from Halifax Jobcentre colleagues, helped to prepare the candidates before the fair by running sessions to build their confidence and learn essential skills for the jobs market. This included outlining what employers expect from candidates and how they could to talk positively about themselves and their transferable skills.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transport, Cllr Sarah Courtney, said:
“The Youth Reverse Jobs Fair follows the success of a similar event held last year aimed at over 50s looking for secure employment. I’m pleased that we’ve seen positive results at both events, with great feedback and some of the jobseekers securing employment opportunities.
“Our Employment Hub is there to support people of any age to find work, training or apprenticeships, offering help and advice for people in a wide variety of situations.
“Helping our young people to use their talents and access opportunities to develop is a key part of our Inclusive Economy Strategy, and we’ll continue to do all we can to ensure people have the skills to secure and progress in quality jobs.”
The fair was a great success, with positive feedback from the young people and the business representatives. One of the candidates, Alex, has since secured a job at Elland Steel. Alex is now a Trainee Estimator, which is a perfect match for his maths and computer skills.
Before the Reverse Jobs Fair, the Employment Hub supported Alex by reviewing and improving his CV, as well as sharing tips on how he could talk about his interests, hobbies and voluntary experience in relation to job specifications.
Alex, said:
“I have a master’s in physics from the University of Manchester. I graduated during the pandemic, which made it tough to find roles because businesses were taking on fewer people.
“(The Employment Hub) helped by pointing me in the right direction of what I should do to find a job; like changing my CV to make it more up to date and focusing on what I should be looking at. Everybody I spoke to was always really helpful. Everyone was there to answer any questions that I had.
“(The Reverse Jobs Fair) made me less stressed and more relaxed because there was more time to practice speaking to people and talking about myself. It wasn’t too formal.”
Bridget McKone, Human Resources Advisor at Elland Steel, said:
“When I saw the Reverse Jobs Fair, I thought, this looks a little bit different, let’s give this a go.
“The way the Reverse Jobs Fair works, it’s like a mini-interview, where you meet in the person. The candidates have got their board with all the details about themselves and their CV. I think this helped prepare Alex for his formal interview at Elland Steel.
“Interviews can be quite scary and a bit intimidating, and having that chance at the Reverse Jobs Fair to break the ice puts people at ease. It helps in the interview process with people having a little bit more confidence when they meet us and they think, OK, I can do this!“Alex has proved to be a valuable part of the Elland Steel team and I see a long and bright future for him within the company.”
The Council and DWP is hoping to run more reverse job fairs in future. The Employment Hub team offers a wide range of support all year round, from helping with CV writing and interview preparation, to advice on changing jobs, self-employment and promotion opportunities. It also helps businesses to recruit and train staff.
For more information about what the Employment Hub can offer, visit www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/businesses/business-advice-and-support/employment-hub
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