Skills Festival Opens Doors
15 January 2008People from across Surrey will be able to explore the wealth of local career and training opportunities on offer, when the fifth annual Surrey Skills Festival at Sandown Park Racecourse, Esher, opens its doors to the public on the evening of Wednesday 30 January.
Organised by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and co-sponsored by Connexions Surrey and the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), Surrey Skills Festival 2008 features over 100 interactive skills exhibits, all created and manned by local businesses and organisations, colleges and training providers.
So, whether you’re at school or college, in work or out of work, or just needing a change of direction, the Surrey Skills Festival open evening is for anyone who is looking to improve their skills and increase their employability, or perhaps planning the next stage in their career. The hands-on exhibits cover every industry and business sector imaginable, from medicine and social care to engineering and construction, the emergency services and the armed forces.
Information, advice and guidance on careers, training and even starting your own business will be available throughout the evening. There will be free workshops on writing your CV and improving your job application and interview skills, so that adults and young people can promote their skills more effectively to prospective employers.
Viv Ottaway, Partnership Director at the Learning and Skills Council in Surrey says;
"Over 65,000 people, including students, teachers, parents and employers, will have visited a Surrey Skills Festival over the last five years. The Festival is helping the LSC achieve our aims of increasing the number of young people staying on in post-16 education and reaching out to help adults develop the skills they need to get on in their careers."
John Parsonage, Director of SMART Growth at SEEDA says;
"This is an important event helping us plug the skills gaps in the Surrey economy. We are very grateful for the contribution of local businesses, colleges and private training providers in creating the excellent exhibits which enable visitors to experience first hand the skills needed for a wide range of industry sectors. Surrey is one of the engines of economic growth for the whole of the South East and we recognise the important part the county plays in driving and sustaining prosperity and economic competitiveness in the region."
Jonathan Olaofe, Chief Executive of Connexions Surrey says;
"The Surrey Skills Festival is helping thousands of Surrey young people realise their potential. The Connexions service provides information, advice and guidance to the young people visiting the Festival and their parents who come along to the evening event. We are delighted to be working in close partnership with our colleagues at the LSC and SEEDA in helping develop the skills of the workforce of the future."
The Surrey Skills Festival 2008 open evening is expected to attract up to 5,000 visitors. The doors open on Wednesday 30 January from 5.30-9.00pm. Admission is free of charge.
In the same week, the Festival will welcome some 9,000 Year 9 students (age 13 -14) from over 60 Surrey schools to its daytime schools-only event, the aim of which is to introduce the county’s young people to the world of work and help them make their GCSE choices.
For more information about the Surrey Skills Festival, please visit
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