Generation Welwyn Hatfield Careers Fair 2024

1000 Students from across the Welwyn/Hatfield borough had the opportunity to network with 55 local businesses at a careers fair that was held on Friday 9 February at the Fielder Centre in Hatfield.

In its second year, The Generation Welwyn Hatfield Careers Fair, which was organised by Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council in conjunction with the Hertfordshire LEP, HOP and Hertfordshire Careers Hub from The Careers and Enterprise Company, highlighted different job sectors and opportunities open to young people.

           

 

Throughout the day, year 11 students from local schools had the opportunity to network with local businesses, finding out about roles and opportunities with brands and organisations including Tesco, Hertfordshire Constabulary, Morgan Sindall, Sky Studios, Crane and Staples, Lovells, the NHS, The Royal Air Force, Herts Fire and Rescue service, The Ambulance Service and many more.  In the late afternoon residents, 350 students from any year group and their parents or carers, visited the fair to find out more about opportunities with these employers and more.  

    

 

The overall aims of the event were to: 

• Help residents and young people network with employers 
• Teach young people about a variety of local jobs and industries 
• Educate students about the varied routes into work 
• Enable teachers and school staff to interact and network with employers  

 

 

Cllr Duncan Jones, Executive Member resources and portfolio holder for business and economics, said:

"We were proud to support this event, as it aligned with our mission to create a prosperous, vibrant, and inclusive community in Welwyn Hatfield. We believe that investing in the skills and talents of our young people is essential for the future success of our local economy and society. Thank you to all the employers who generously participated. Your presence and contribution were invaluable to our young people, as you provided them with real-world insights, guidance, and inspiration.” 

Fahima Begum HR Advisor HR Owen Luxury Cars who brought a Lamborghini and a Lotus to this years event:

“We have actually recruited someone from the event last year. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do and he asked us for a Saturday job and in September he became an apprentice. We call him our products genius and he is thriving and we attended again this year to see if we can get some more gems like him.”

 

Steve Trotter Hertfordshire Careers Hub Operations Lead

“It was tremendous to see such a variety of local employers looking to actively engage with the local community. There have been many students gain offers of work experience and apprenticeships interviews and its great to hear that last year’s event resulted in so many students securing apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships from attending the event.

The schools do a great job in preparing the students to make the event meaningful and the employers make the effort to make their stands interactive and interesting, as a result its lovely to see so many get those magical penny drop moments of inspiration. A big thanks to Lisa Devayya at Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council for all her hard work to make this event possible.”