Last Friday Emma held her second South Shields Jobs Fair. The event was sponsored by Port of Tyne and South Tyneside College, and saw major employers including Nexus, Barclays and Maersk in attendance. Local employers including South Tyneside Hospital and South Tyneside Homes also had jobs on offer. Altogether 28 employers had vacancies on offer, more than the 20 that attended last year.
Hundreds of jobseekers made it to South Tyneside College to see the jobs on offer, talk to prospective employers and receive free careers advice. A number have since been offered interviews and could soon be back in work.
This was Emma’s second jobs fair since becoming an MP. This event built on last year’s success, which saw over 600 people attend and saw some people walk away with jobs on the day. 100 new apprentice posts were taken up, and as a result of the event South Tyneside College established new traineeships with the NHS and with BT.
Emma is already planning to hold a third jobs fair in 2015, which she hopes will be an even bigger success.
Emma said:
“I was really pleased to see so much interest in this year’s fair both from jobseekers and businesses. There were some fantastic opportunities on offer and nearly everyone I spoke to said they had found something they would be applying for.
“Every person who finds a job is a success story, and that work can make a real difference to them and their family, with unemployment remaining high – above 2,700 – in Shields and a Government that continues to ignore the North I will continue to do everything I can to help people find work. I want to also thank all of the business who took part as well as Port of Tyne and South Tyneside College for their sponsorship and cooperation.”