Major jobs and careers exhibition opens at the Odyssey
Job and education opportunities, skills training and careers advice are high on the agenda at today’s Job Scene exhibition in Belfast.
Launching the two day event at the Odyssey Arena, Aideen McGinley, Permanent Secretary at the Department for Employment and Learning, emphasised the growing importance of linking education and training to the real world of work and said:
“This major careers event can be life-changing as the catalyst for a new beginning for those who are venturing into employment for the first time. It could also help job changers to consider different opportunities and to learn about the education or training routes they need to take to realise their goals.
“Furthermore as we drive forward with our “Skills Strategy” this event has a pivotal part to play by ensuring education and skills training fully supports economic development in Northern Ireland.”
The department is the main sponsor of Job Scene which attracted over 8,000 visitors last year. The event enables visitors to meet and engage meaningfully with private and public employers, training organisations, Sector Skills Council groups and further and higher education institutions.
On the department’s main stand Careers Advisers will be available, over the two days of the exhibition, to provide the latest information on career opportunities, training and employment opportunities and education. The stand will also promote the products and services available to visitors of all ages.
This year its European Employment Services (EURES) will be hosting a separate stand to celebrate the “European Year of Workers Mobility 2006”. Visitors to the stand will be given advice about working throughout Europe and will be provided with information on how to source vacancies.
A unique opportunity to try your hands-on skills in a variety of trades will also be on show. Aideen McGinley explains:
“My department is committed to developing and raising skills levels in Northern Ireland. The dedicated “Skills Zone” in the exhibition, which we are sponsoring together with help from the Sector Skills Councils, is an interactive area where visitors can try their hand at a range of training opportunities and speak to the experts about them.”
Thanking the event organiser, TJW Exhibitions, for staging Job Scene for its sixth year in Northern Ireland, Aideen McGinley concluded:
“If you are a jschool or college student, graduate, job seeker or changer of any age, Job Scene offers quality information and expert advice to support you in making informed decisions about your future. So my message is - come and see what we can do for you.”
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. The Department for Employment and Learning is the main sponsor of the Job Scene event running from 28-29 September 2006 at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast.
2. Major public and private employers from all over Northern Ireland participate and over 8,000 visitors are expected during the two days. TJW Exhibitions organise the annual careers, training, education and jobs which is now in its sixth year.
3. Aideen McGinley was welcomed to the Odyssey complex by Toby Fielder, Exhibitions Manager with TJW and Judith Shaw, Head of the Department’s Careers Service.
4. Media queries to the Department for Employment and Learning Press Office on 028 9025 7872.