The event was attended by over 500 Service leavers and 72 exhibitors, the majority of whom were employers showcasing a wide range of vacancies. New exhibitors included Sainsbury’s, who were recruiting for a variety of roles, predominantly for management vacancies within their new store opening in the east of Scotland. Recruitment staff manning the stand, (which included a Service leaver who joined the company 18 months ago upon leaving the Army), said that they realised the skills that ex-Forces have match those they were seeking for a wide variety of roles. They were keen to promote their brand at the employment fair and said that they will definitely be attending future events.
Organisers were also delighted to welcome CR Smith, a local family owned and very well known company in Scotland who were seeking to recruit more Service leavers to their sales and maintenance teams. The offshore sector was well represented by the likes of Fugrosurvey, Weatherford and Transocean to name but a few. A number of those exhibiting at the fair were former Service leavers now settled into their civilian roles, and so were able to fully understand the career transition process and offer valuable advice to the Service leavers in attendance.
The event was formally opened by Group Captain Keith Spencer (Assistant Head of Training, Education, Skills and Resettlement) who thanked the exhibitors for supporting CTP and considering Service leavers and the wide range of skills and experience they could offer to meet their staffing needs. Local media also attended and interviews were arranged with Service leavers, pictures taken and an article published in The Dundee Courier newspaper highlighting the challenges that Service leavers face, and promoting the work of the CTP.
The team at RRC Rosyth and the ECs located in Scotland collected information about current vacancies from attending employers prior to the event, and created a Jobs Board to enable Service leavers to quickly identify suitable roles and companies to target on the day. There were around two thousand jobs in the room on the day, and staff on the CTP stand were able to refer many clients to the board to obtain further information, before speaking to companies.
Interviews have been arranged for many Service leavers with companies such as Electro Flo Controls; and Aker Solutions anticipate selecting around 50 of the CV’s they received to take forward in their recruitment process. Petrofac collected CV’s and aim to respond to every single candidate with either interview offers, or advice and guidance on other options within the offshore sector.
Feedback from the event was very positive from both exhibitors and Service leavers alike, showing that all found the day a worthwhile, well organised and useful event; most importantly, “there are jobs out there!”
Click here to view more photos from the day, on our Facebook page!
Don't forget to check out the CTP events calendar for details of all our forthcoming Employment Fairs - book your space today!