Denbigh’s business community has joined forces to put on a jobs fair to inspire young people and help rebalance the local economy so it’s less dependent on the public sector.
The South Denbighshire Jobs Fair, which will be held on July 4, from 11am to 3pm at Denbigh Town Hall already has the support of major local employers.
These include the main sponsor, Pendine Park care organisation, world-beating ceramic mural company Craig Bragdy Design, and Ruthin-based civil engineering company Jones Bros.
It is also being backed to the hilt by Vale of Clwyd MP Chris Ruane.
The inaugural event, will feature career advice from seasoned professionals from 11:00am to 12:30 for young people between 14 and 18 in the morning, and job advertisements in the afternoon for people aged 16 and above.
The jobs fair, which is being backed by Denbigh High School, and the Denbigh Campus of Coleg Llandrillo, is the brainchild of Mark Young, proprietor of Denbigh Chocolate Shop who has just completed a successful year as Chair of Denbigh Business Group.
He said: “Things have been tough on young people the past few years, but this shows that we believe in them and in their potential.
“It’s a partnership between businesses, and the local schools, to make sure we can help children on to a decent career path. It’s a positive message that there are good jobs out there and that businesses should work together to make sure we’re providing for our up and coming workforce.
“I want to make sure they get the right qualifications for the right jobs to we can have a better future for everyone.
“We’re looking for other businesses to get involved, and it’s on a first come, first serve basis. We’ve got room for about 30 to 40 companies to take part. This event is something we want to do every year.”
Mario Kreft MBE, the proprietor of the award-winning Pendine Park care organisation which employs more than 600 people, thinks the jobs fair is a fantastic idea.
Mr Kreft, who lives in Denbigh, said: “There is nothing more important than supporting jobs for young people, and we want to offer the range of career prospects that are out there in our community.
“There are huge opportunities and really good careers in social care.
“They’re not just careers that offer the opportunity for high pay, but also a great sense of worth to our community. Social care in particular supports economic prosperity by ensuring that we have a society where the vulnerable, young and old, are supported.
“The message is to kids that if you really are interested in making a difference to people’s lives, you really want a rewarding career with real prospects, social care is certainly something you should consider if that is your vocation.
Vale of Clwyd MP Chris Ruane MP is equally enthusiastic.
He said: “I’m very happy to support the jobs fair. It shows that there is a lot of initiative, innovation, and potential in this area.
“I think it’s an excellent initiative, because what we need to do in the Vale of Clwyd, and indeed Clwyd West, is get more private sector jobs.
“There are currently 1 in 2 jobs of people working in those two constituencies are in the public sector. We need to rebalance our local economy and tilt it towards the private sector as we experience public sector jobs cuts. So having three great companies that employ up to a thousand people between them, who are all willing to accept young people is fantastic.
“There are high quality jobs available here and young people need to know about them.
Mr Young added: “I am very thankful that Pendine Park have agreed to be the main sponsor, and would like to thank Chris and his office staff for all of their support.”
For more information about the jobs fair please email Mark young on [email protected] or ring on 07825912554.
