All Together Cumbria with Lakes College invite you to participate in the Festival of Work

The Festival of Work has been created in response to the skills shortages that are being experienced across the construction, engineering and nuclear sectors.

The event aims to showcase the local employment opportunities available and the pathways to progressing a successful career across the construction, engineering and nuclear sectors. The Festival of Work provides a great opportunity for businesses to engage with secondary school students to help inspire the next generation across Copeland and Allerdale between 10am and 2pm. From 2pm to 7pm the focus of the event will turn to adults, including those that are unemployed and those already in work but who are looking to progress/change their career.

The festival will include employer stands to promote vacancies alongside career support organisations and training/education providers. There will also be a programme of interactive workshop sessions to provide an insight into the wide range of careers available and how they can be pursued.

Why?

• High levels of unfilled vacancies with acute skills shortages in key professions.
• To encourage the transfer of new talent which is key to meeting workforce demand as well as diversifying thought. For example, 60% of new recruits in nuclear are currently from outside of the sector (Nuclear Workforce Assessment Report 2019).
• CITB forecast a 4.5% annual average growth in construction output in the North West, requiring 23,500 new workers between 2020 and 2025 which means continued competition amongst infrastructure programmes for multi-disciplinary skills (Construction Skills Network Labour Market Intelligence Report – Outlook 2021-2025).
• Research by CITB shows only 17% of people outside the industry consider the construction sector attractive, 6% consider it before entering another sector, and only 2% consider it a preferred industry.
• It is apparent that there is significant underemployment in Cumbria, in that individuals have the potential and ambition to progress in their career, but face barriers in doing so. These barriers can range from a lack of awareness of the opportunities available, to the inability to relate their skills to new sectors.
• To support diversity in the construction, nuclear and engineering sectors – for example, 14% of all construction personnel are female with only 1% in trades occupations whilst 2% of all construction personnel are from BAME backgrounds (CITB).

How to get involved?

We would like to invite you to participate in the Festival of Work by hosting a free stand to promote your vacancies/services and/or hosting a workshop session. We would encourage interactive exhibits.

We are also seeking sponsorship of the Festival of Work for £1,000. The sponsorship is to help cover the costs of the Festival of Work and will be allocated in the first instance to cover school transport, ensuring that cost is not a barrier to participation for schools. Sponsorship will be recognised in the Festival of Work publicity and literature including posters, press releases and social media. Meanwhile sponsors will have the opportunity to contribute promotional/informational items to a pack that will be issued to all attendees.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact [email protected] or call 07974615574 or 07817827942.

You can register your attendance and/or sponsor via EventBrite.