Hundreds of job hunters flock to Wolverhampton recruitment fair
Hundreds of job hunters packed out a Wolverhampton recruitment fair which has taken place the day after the city was named as having among the most households in the country out of work.
Scores of jobseekers queued up in the rain ahead of the event opening at the City of Wolverhampton College's Wellington Road campus in Bilston.
The turnout came the day after Wolverhampton was named as the fifth highest jobless blackspot in Britain – with 27.3 per cent of its households out of work.
Stands were hosted by more than 30 companies.
Vacancies with firms such as Jaguar Land Rover, BHS, Cab Auto, Northern Gas, Carillion and Bromford Housing Group were up for grabs. JLR, which is building a £500 million engine plant on the i54 site on the Wolverhampton border with Staffordshire, was advertising for 175 positions for skilled trades at bases across the country.
Wolverhampton-based construction giant Carillion was meanwhile on the hunt to fill a combined 30 bricklaying and carpentry apprentices for people between the ages of 16 and 19.
Pat McFadden, MP for Wolverhampton South East, said: "There's obviously a huge need and desire for people to find work."
Mr McFadden MP's own office was running a stand advertising a scheme to find work experience placements with 55 city employers, which last year found work for 45 people.
College principal Mark Robertson added it was 'humbling' to see the determination of people to improve their quality of life.
Karl Denner, 27, of Wathan Avenue, Woodcross, has been looking for work for two and a half years to support his two children.
He added: "There's something for everyone here. I am happy to try anything really."
And Matthew Carter, a 28-year-old jobseeker of Silverton Way, Wednesfield, said: "It's great to see big firms here."
Michelle Hunstone, from Bilston, a former National Grid administration worker, added: "It's a struggle with so many people looking for work but you keep trying."
