MORE than 350 people flocked to Tiverton High School for the Mid Devon Jobs and Apprenticeships Fair organised by Neil Parish, MP for Tiverton and Honiton.

The Fair, held at the Tiverton High School Sports Hall on Wednesday, was in association with the Jobcentre Plus.

The purpose of the Jobs fair was to help school leavers and job seekers find work and get careers advice to give young people the experience and skills they need to enter the workplace.

Over twenty different employers and training providers held stands at the Jobs Fair hoping to fill vacancies and offer careers advice.

Amongst the leading schools and colleges offering training courses and apprenticeships at the fair were Exeter College, Richard Huish College, Somerset College, Blundell's School, Exeter Mathematics School, The Academy of Music, Petroc College and the Art School.

There were national employers like the Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Countrywide Grounds Maintenance, as well as local ones such as Cosmic Ethical IT, Tiverton Community Arts Theatre and South West Highways and acTIV which aims to promote inclusivity in sport and to create a community centre for sport in Tiverton.

There were also a number of national organisations offering training and career advice such as the Jobcentre Plus, Paramount Personnel, the Construction Industry Training Board, National Citizenship Service and A Plus Training.

Speaking on the success of the Mid Devon Jobs Fair Neil Parish said: “I was delighted to see so many driven and ambitious young people who are keen to find work and training. There are many fantastic opportunities for training and work across the UK and especially here in Devon.

"I would like to thank my office, the Jobcentre Plus and the brilliant staff at Tiverton High School for all their help organising this Fair. Most especially I would like to thank the hundreds of students and young people who attended and I hope it has fired their imagination for their future careers.”

Commenting on the Jobs Fair Mr Andrew Lovett, Head Teacher of Tiverton High School, said: “Our Careers fair this year was our most successful yet. Working in collaboration with Neil Parish enabled us to offer a fantastic range of college providers and local employers for students to meet.

"It was great to see students discussing the choices and opportunities ahead of them and we look forward to building on this successful event in future years.”