Apprentice Scott Jardine is urging young people to make the most of the opportunity to meet a wide variety of industry-leading companies – all under one roof.
The 20-year-old knows how beneficial a visit to the Bath Skills Fair can be as it is where he found out about his technical apprenticeship in engineering at Rotork.
The informal setting provides a fantastic opportunity for 15 to 25 year-olds to make a good impression in front of companies from all sectors including manufacturing, retail, hospitality, transport and hair and beauty.
City of Bath College will host the Bath Skills Fair on Wednesday, March 12th – one of the south west’s biggest events for young people looking for essential information and advice on their future choices.
Visitors will have the chance to meet up with a range of leading local and national companies looking to recruit young people to apprenticeships, jobs, sponsored degrees, paid gap years and voluntary work.
Scott, who is on his way to becoming a qualified engineering apprentice, said: “I’d recommend young people go to the Bath Skills Fair as it’s a great place to find out information about what companies offer.
“It saves on a lot of hard work as you have all employers in the same place at the same time. It’s an opportunity young people can’t afford to miss.”
Scott was taking A-Levels in ICT, Applied Science and PE at Ralph Allen Sixth Form when he went to the Bath Skills Fair in March 2012.
He was keen to follow his father and grandfather into engineering but wasn’t sure how to go about it.
He said: “I’m so glad I went to the Skills Fair. I wrote down the employers I wanted to speak to and the questions I wanted to ask. I went prepared as I wanted to find out as much information as I could. I think it gave me an advantage as I was able to show my enthusiasm and passion.
“It was good to be able to have that one-to-one time with employers. I remember speaking to Rotork employees and getting a really good impression of the company.”
Scott admitted that before attending the Bath Skills Fair, he hadn’t known much about apprenticeships and had assumed he would need to go to university.
He applied for an apprenticeship at Rotork just a couple of days after the careers event and started working there in August, 2012.
During the first year of his four-year apprenticeship, he was a full-time student to gain practical knowledge in the engineering field. Now in his second year, he is getting on-the-job training in a variety of office and shop floor departments, while attending City of Bath College one day a week.
Scott said: “As an apprentice I get the best of both worlds as I get the training and experience while being paid.
“People can leave university with large debts and no guarantee of a job but with an apprenticeship I’m one step ahead with my career.”
He added: “Rotork is a great place to work and being an apprentice is an amazing opportunity. You learn whilst on the job from experienced employees, and are paid whilst you are training in the workplace and at college.
“Managers put their trust in you to carry out tasks and you are treated like a permanent member of the team.”
Rotork will once again be at the Bath Skills Fair this year as they look to recruit more apprentices. Human resources staff as well as apprentices themselves will be on hand to talk young people through their engineering apprenticeships, as well as IT, business administration and catering.
Peter France, Chief Executive of Rotork, was an Electrical and Electronic Engineering apprentice at City of Bath College.
He said: “We are very proud of our apprentice scheme that is designed to develop each individual in order for them to progress to their full potential.
“Since the company began we have offered apprenticeships and many of our apprentices have gone on to become senior managers. We currently have 19 apprentices in Bath and we look forward to seeing them progress.”
Other companies at the Bath Skills Fair will include Bath and North East Somerset Council, Avon and Somerset Constabulary, Deloitte, KPMG, Wessex Water, the British Army, Fitness First, Barclays and UWE.
Bath Skills Fair will also offer careers advice, a CV surgery and mock interviews. Entry is free of charge and the event is open to school and college students from 12-3pm and to young people and their parents from 4pm-7pm.
For more information on the Bath Skills Fair on Wednesday, March 12th, visit www.bathskillsfair.com, email [email protected] or call 01225 328720.
You can also keep up to date with the latest news about the event on Twitter – @BathSkillsFair.
