Over 40 exhibitors including local employers, colleges, universities and training providers will be at the first ever Dover District Skills Fair on Thursday, 19 November from 12 to 6pm at Dover Town Hall. The free to attend event showcases the skills needed by local employers as the district's regeneration agenda steps up a gear.
Organised by Dover District Council, the Dover Skills Fair aims to help young people and those looking to re-train to find out about opportunities in further and higher education, vocational training and apprenticeships. A number of employers will be recruiting for jobs at the Fair.
The Fair is being organised in skills zones with students from East Kent College providing hands-on experience with demonstrations in bricklaying, electrical, computing, hairdressing, science, tourism and maritime. These skills link with many of the major local employers attending, which include Bakkavor, Discovery Park, English Heritage, Leaf Hotels Group, Megger, P&O Ferries, Priority Freight, Port of Dover, Saga, and Viking Recruitment.
Also attending are the Army, Royal Air Force, and Royal Navy, Kent Police, Dover District Council, Kent County Council, and the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust.
Local colleges and universities will be showcasing courses closely linked to local employers. East Kent College is a key sponsor of the event and offers a wide range of courses at its Dover, Folkestone, Broadstairs and Discovery Park campuses. For those interested in land-based courses, Hadlow College will be attending along with colleagues from the Betteshanger Sustainable Parks project.
For those considering higher education, Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Greenwich will also be at the Dover Skills Fair.
The event will be a good opportunity for local people to find out about developments in the district. Invest in Dover will be on hand with information on the St James development, which will create over 500 new jobs, and the team from the Port of Dover and Graham Construction will have information on job opportunities with the Dover Western Docks Revival.
Cllr Keith Morris, portfolio holder for skills and training at Dover District Council, said: "This is a great opportunity to come and see the exciting range of developments underway in the district and how local people can prepare for the jobs of the future. I'd like to thank all the employers, colleges, university and training providers for supporting the event."
Graham Razey, Principal, East Kent College, said: "This promises to be an exciting showcase of skills and training opportunities linked to what local employers want from their future employees. We've worked closely with local employers to invest in our campuses and curriculum to meet their needs."
