Mark Eastwood MP hosts Apprenticeships Fair to inspire local young people

On Thursday 29 February, Mark Eastwood, MP for Dewsbury, Mirfield, Kirkburton and Denby Dale, hosted his third Apprenticeships Fair at Kirklees College’s Pioneer Higher Skills Centre. The annual event aims to inspire local young people to consider doing an apprenticeship after they leave school. By collaborating with the college, the largest provider of apprenticeships in Calderdale and Kirklees, the fair also enabled invited students to find out more about Kirklees College’s apprenticeship provision.

This year’s event was attended by students from Heckmondwike Grammar School, Castle Hall Academy, Spen Valley High School and Westborough High School, all local feeder schools to Kirklees College. The students took part in a range of workshops, including CV writing skills delivered by Kirklees College and interview skills delivered by Santander Bank.

There was also a Careers Fair, attended by a range of employer partners who currently offer apprenticeships with Kirklees College. These employers included Richard Alan Engineering Co LTD, NHS Trust, The Furniture Makers Company, Shackletons LTD, West Yorkshire Police, Transpennine Route Upgrade, UK Greetings, AUS and Santander. This provided students with the opportunity to network with companies from a range of industries and realise just how varied apprenticeships can be.

Speaking about the event, Mark Eastwood commented:

“We had a fantastic time at my third Apprenticeships Fair held in collaboration with Kirklees College at their Pioneer Higher Skills Centre in Dewsbury. We invited school students from the local area to meet a range of employers and learn more about apprenticeships, which are providing the next generation with the skills they need to enter the world of work. Thank you to the college for hosting the event and to the employers who attended for promoting apprenticeships to our local young people.”

The event was also timed nicely to fall during Colleges Week, an annual campaign run by the Association of Colleges (AoC). This year’s Colleges Week theme was influencing, engaging, celebrating, and the AoC called on FE colleges across the country to use this week to engage with their local representatives to promote the work that the sector does to create opportunities for people in their local communities. Kirklees College rallied support from Kim Leadbeater, MP for Batley and Spen earlier in the week, and Mark Eastwood MP also attended the AoC Beacon Awards Final in Westminster, where Kirklees College were named finalists for the NOCN Group Award for Mental Health and Wellbeing.

Helen Rose, Director of External Relations and Apprenticeships at Kirklees College said:

“It was great to gain support from our local MPs during this year’s Colleges Week. The Mark Eastwood Apprenticeships Fair was bigger than ever this year and it was fantastic to engage with so many local schools and share the many benefits of apprenticeships with the next generation.”

To find out more about apprenticeships at Kirklees College here.