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Virtual Job Fair 2020

Our Job Fair 2020 had a bit of a twist this year with presentations and Q&As completed virtually, and what a week it’s been! Our range of speakers from businesses across the country joined us on Microsoft Teams for our Virtual Job Fair, giving students an insight into their roles and daily routines, as well as avenues like Apprenticeships and the general recruitment process.

We kicked off the week with a presentation from Surrey Police who gave an overview of their Apprenticeships. Speaking about their roles, Officers Julie, who is retired and Eleanor, who is part of the recruitment team, spoke about how every day is different, making careers in the police unique and exciting.

We then heard from The Prince’s Trust, Surrey Care, Surrey Hospital and Surrey Heartlands who spoke to our Caring Services students about a range of careers available within Health & Social Care. One representative, Leslie, said that the most rewarding part of her job was "finding people under 30 who want to work in care or who already work in care”, describing it as “joyous."

Tuesday was a busy day, starting with Fennies, a group of nurseries who have branches in and around London, who presented to our Childcare students about the progression and career pathways into Early Years work. Fennies’ presenter, Kirstie, who is head of Talent Acquisition, told us all about how Fennies was formed and the growth opportunities available whilst Kerri, a former Childcare Level 3 student spoke of her journey to become a manager at their Oxted nursery!

Presentations were also given by The Civil Aviation Authority, where presenter Kelly spoke about the Apprenticeship opportunities available, and Tandridge District Council where Lucy explained how her Apprenticeship at the council had helped her build on her career. Lucy is now a Trainee Customer Adviser for the Tandridge DC and felt that her Apprenticeship had really given her the experience she needed to excel!

Our final presenters for Tuesday were Jacey, Emma and Charlotte from Ashcroft Care Services who spoke to our students about their roles in assisted residences and how each residence differs dependent on the tenants’ needs. They explained how rewarding their careers were and made a big impression on our students who asked lots of questions at the Q&A!

On Wednesday, our own HR team got involved, with Lorna and Susie presenting on the HR structure and what a day in the life of HR looked like! Lorna added how Human Resources was really all about “being part of a team” and she agreed with Susie that their biggest difficulty is juggling their many roles!

We also heard from Christina at Surrey Choices who explained how their organisation helps people and how their Day Activity Centres are equipped to help those who need support gain independence. She explained that being a “positive person” who is “passionate about the equality of opportunity” was very important when applying for a role with their team and that they would welcome anyone with these qualities.

To finish off our Virtual Job Fair, we heard from Alix at Include.org, a charity that supports people with communication difficulties, and trains individuals and business in adapting services to be more inclusive. She spoke to our Reigate School of Art students, explaining how they are always on the lookout for volunteers to help with film production, sound recording and digital content creation.

Thank you to all of our fantastic speakers this week, it has been great to hear from all of you!