Job seekers attend careers event organised by Inspire 2 Independence

MORE than 300 job seekers attended a careers event to improve their skills or to find work.

It was organised by Inspire 2 Independence, a Government-funded scheme to help people get back into work which is currently helping about 2,000 unemployed people of all ages.

Employers and training providers attended the event in Devonshire House, Grimsby, including Pleasure Island, Best Training, Abbey Homecare and Creative Support.

And jobseekers were given advice about writing CVs and filling in application forms.

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Richard Gibbs, 30, from Cleethorpes, has been unemployed for three years and is hoping to find factory work.

"I used to valet vehicles for many years but then I lost my job," he said.

"I have recently done a warehouse and storage course, as well as a forklift course.

"It's important that I gain more skills so I can broaden my chances of getting a job.

"I use the internet to look for jobs, but fairs like this are good because you can speak to people face-to-face."

James Sample, 19, from Cleethorpes, has completed work experience in retail and construction and he is looking for any type of job.

"I have been unemployed for two years and I have just done work experience," he said, "so I thought this job fair would be an ideal opportunity to find some work."

Latest Government statistics revealed that unemployment in the Yorkshire and Humber region in January numbered at 241,000, a decrease of 21,000 since December.

Sure Start West Marsh was offering voluntary work placements and information about support for parents.

Parental engagement worker Sally Broughton said: "We realise starting a new job can impact the whole family and we want to encourage parents to get into work and training.

"We are there to help and support parents and to give them confidence. We have had a lot of interest in the voluntary positions and some people have even been more qualified than me."

Sue Hartley, a training officer for Abbey Homecare, said: "It is such a satisfactory job and you get to meet people all the time. This is the job of the future – carers will always be needed, and we are always on the look-out for more. We currently have 160 service users and 130 carers in the Grimsby branch."

Karen Hooks, Inspire 2 Independence's employee engagement team manager, added: "This will hopefully give our customers the opportunity to break back into work.

"If they haven't got the required skills, there are plenty of training providers to help them get the job they want."