1,000 pupils and adults find out about exciting career opportunities in Cumbria

A SHOWCASE of Cumbrian career opportunities which brought more than 1,000 secondary school pupils together with leading employers has been praised as a major success.

The Festival of Work was hosted by All Together Cumbria at Lakes College in partnership with CITB and saw pupils visit from across the county for an all-day celebration of the huge variety of careers on offer in Cumbria.

The pupils explored the college’s campus and met with more than 60 employers across industries including construction, engineering, nuclear, armed forces and utilities, as well as finding out about training and education opportunities at Lakes College.

The youngsters also took part in dozens of interactive workshops, including trying their hand at programming and VR in the new £1 million Digital Accelerator Hub at Lakes College, learning about transferable skills with Arup, and completing a CV clinic run by Sir Robert McAlpine.

Andy Dodds, social enterprise manager at All Together Cumbria, said “We were delighted with the success of the Festival of Work.

“It is really important that we showcase the careers available in the local area, inspiring the next generation, while also highlighting the wide range of job opportunities for those looking to start, progress or change their careers.

“It’s been fantastic to see the number of schools, employers and organisations that have got on board to support the Festival of Work.”

Chris Nattress, principal at Lakes College, said: “This year’s Festival of Work was even bigger and better than the first and brought a huge buzz to our campus all day.

“This event has been a shining example of how we work in partnership with employers to successfully engage with people from right across our communities in opportunities for careers, education and training.

“It was fantastic to see so many young people enjoying the interactive workshops, exploring our top-class facilities and having meaningful conversations with employers and our staff about career opportunities in our area.

“My thanks to everyone for making it such a brilliant event.”

The festival proved a hit with both schools and employers, who praised the event for demonstrating what Cumbria has to offer and providing inspiration to those unsure about their next steps.

Cheryl Eastburn, careers lead at Caldew School, said the festival had showcased the huge variety of careers available in Cumbria to the pupils.

“It’s great having employers from all of these different areas together in one place so that pupils can understand the range of jobs in areas they might not have thought of,” she said.

“All of our pupils have thoroughly enjoyed their day and it’s given them plenty to think about in terms of what they would like to do once they leave school.”

Adrian Stubbs, general manager of festival exhibitor Hanson Contracting, added: “We thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to attend the Festival of Work as it’s given children from different schools the opportunity to come to one place and get a real look at what is out in the working world.

“It’s been a very successful day as all the youngsters have been engaging and enthusiastic to learn more about our company and the jobs we have on offer.”

Maddie Nutt, who is a pupil at St Benedict’s School, said she had enjoyed the opportunity to speak with employers and organisations including the Royal Navy.

She said: “It’s given me some ideas for future careers to think about.”

The afternoon was dedicated to adults attending to meet face-to-face with employers and finding out about current vacancies in the area across key sectors.

The Festival of Work was sponsored by employers from across Cumbria including Morgan Sindall Construction, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, Shearwater, CITB, Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick, Lakes College, Sellafield Ltd, AE Yates and Jacobs.