Jobs fair in the Eastgate Centre proves a popular draw for locals looking for work
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Job seekers flocked to a recruitment event held at the Eastgate Shopping Centre.
The jobs fair was held on Friday and Saturday, with several local businesses happy to discuss a range of vacancies they are currently seeking to fill.
Veronica Mackintosh, the centre’s administration and commercialisation manager, said a total of 10 external exhibitors were due to take part over the weekend as well as a number of outlets based in the Eastgate itself.
“It’s been quite promising so far,” she said during the two days. “At 9.30am there were people floating about waiting for it to open. You speak to everyone and it is the same – they are struggling to recruit.”
Speaking later she said: “It was a great event.
“All participants really enjoyed it and thought it was a great thing we were doing for the local community, free of charge.
“Our biggest wins were with Next and the Kingsmills Hotel getting applicants over both days. About 200 people came on Friday and about 75 on Saturday.
“Everyone involved would like to be involved in anything similar that we run again. It was a good opportunity to make contacts with people that are willing to promote any future vacancies we may have.”
Iain Allison, the training manager with Stagecoach, said there were between 10 and 15 vacancies for drivers in Inverness and Aviemore. He said: “I think the jobs fair is a good thing and the more things like this that happen the better.”
He said the vacancies were for qualified and trainee drivers, with free training provided in-house, which took between six and eight weeks to complete.
Vicky McCormac, a driver and training assistant, said being able to manoeuvre such a large vehicle successfully gave you a sense of achievement.
Tracy Stranrear-Mull, HR administrator for Kingsmills Hotel, said it was good to be able to attend the event especially in the current financial climate.
She said: “Everyone is struggling to fill their vacancies. ”
The hotel currently has 10 vacancies, she said, and the jobs fair gave the opportunity to meet a number of promising candidates.
Sandra McCaughey, the employer engagement manager with Developing the Young Workforce, said she felt the event was “fantastic” and added: “We are raising awareness of the opportunities that are out there. We are giving people the opportunity to fulfil their potential.”
Vinny Pillay, an employer adviser with the Department for Work and Pensions, said they were there to let people know about the services they provided. He said: “The response has been really good – people are surprised that the department is more than just about benefits and we can help people to the next stop of their employment journey.”
Alan Mikolajczyk, an engagement consultant with Triage, runs Fairstart Scotland in the Highlands. He said: “This offers support to people that may have barriers getting into work, where we offered them tailored support. We want to help people with barriers to get into work that is sustainable and manageable for them.”
Currently they support around 360 people across the Highlands, Islands and Moray and Mr Mikolajczyk said: “We will be opening a new office in Academy Street at the end of this month.”
Helen Martin, a team leader at Enable Works, said they provided support to people with disabilities to help them to get into work.”
She said: “We provide support with appointments, speaking to employers and help with any barriers that people may face. We typically provide support for one year, and also for around one year post employment. We also provide disability training to employers.”
