Career opportunities starting to open up post-lockdowns

EMPLOYERS and job hunters were brought together yesterday as the States continued to try to bring down the jobless figure.

JTC was the only finance firm with a stand at yesterday’s job fair at St James. Media marketing manager Sarah Nicholls, centre, was taken aback by some of the people she met. Also pictured are Rachel Renouf, left, and Samantha Gramoney. (Pictures by Peter Frankland, 29744485)

The number of people without work fell to 494 at the end of May, 75 fewer than the previous month and less than a third of the figure for May last year.

Employment & Social Security president Peter Roffey vowed ‘we’re not taking our foot off the pedal’, so a second job fair was held to encourage more vacancies to be filled.

In all, 115 job hunters made their way to St James, down from the 200 who attended a similar fair at the Guernsey Information Centre in May.

RW Randall Ltd are manager Shannon Wilson, left, and executive chef Lynsey Craggs. (29744483)

‘The main aim is to get employers in front of job seekers,’ said organiser Dean Slater, the acting supervisor at the Job Centre.

‘There are a number of vacancies advertised at the moment. Now the pandemic is hopefully starting to stabilise, companies are getting more ambitious as far as their plans are concerned, so they’re advertising a lot more.

‘And it’s an opportunity for people to look at different sectors they potentially hadn’t looked at before.’

The informal nature of the fair was essential, he said, in allowing job seekers to widen their scope and find new opportunities outside their previous experience.

JTC was the only finance company with a stall at the fair. Media marketing manager Sarah Nicholls said job fairs were very effective at opening up new opportunities and cited the example of a local chef who recently switched from catering to join her firm in finance.

She said she was taken aback by the people she had met during the two-hour session.

‘I’m absolutely thrilled,’ she said. ‘The calibre of the people who have come through the doors has impressed me an awful lot.’

The States used its stand to look for housekeeping and laundry assistants. On the left is co-ordinator Georgie Hemming with manager Jackie Toms. (29744481)

At the States of Guernsey stall, housekeeping and laundry service manager Jackie Toms was hopeful that vacancies caused by a lack of incoming workers during the pandemic could be filled by young residents.

‘Obviously, cleaning isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and it’s not actually a career. However, it can always be a foot in the door to another career within the States of Guernsey,’ she said.