Hundreds turn out for Gosport's annual employment fair

Gosport Leisure Centre in Forest Way hosted the town’s largest ever Employment and Skills Fair.

More than 40 exhibitors promoted hundreds of different job vacancies and apprenticeship opportunities, from full-time work to weekend work and relief staff roles.

The event, organised by Gosport Borough Council, has now been running for seven years and is the biggest careers exhibition in the borough.

Figures released on Wednesday showed that while employment has risen around the country, there has been a drop of nearly 10 per cent in Gosport over the past 12 months.

Susan Tosvedin, 52 from Lee-on-the-Solent, said: ‘I resigned from my job at Christmas and I am looking for something different to take on.

‘I think this event has been great because there’s lots of different opportunities available for people.

‘There’s been a brilliant focus on young people here as well – in fact, I would say that this event has been so useful that it should be done more than once a year.’

Tanya Wearn, 23 from Gosport, said: ‘Today has been really good and very informative.

‘I’ve been handing my CV out to every company here to see what sort of job I can find myself.

‘I am volunteering with the RSPCA at the moment and would love to get into some sort of health and social care job. I have the qualifications so it is just a case of getting my name out there.

‘It has been great to talk to the different businesses here today about what they can offer.’

Cllr Stephen Philpott, chairman of Gosport Borough Council’s economic development board, said: ‘This is the ideal event for anyone looking for work or a change of direction and it is the most important thing we can do as a council.

‘It’s great because residents can meet employers and talk to them face to face.

‘We’re delighted to be able to bring local employers and residents together under one roof, in a way that benefits everyone.’