More than 3,000 young people are set to take part in a two day careers event at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford in March.
Organised by Oxfordshire's Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) Skills’ Oxfordshire Careers Hub, the event will connect Oxfordshire students with some of the county's biggest employers, showing potential careers paths and offering dedicated resources for parents and carers.
Schools will visit the event during the day on March 20 and 21, while there will be a "twilight session" for parents and carers alongside their children, which will take place between 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm on March 20.
More than 70 exhibitors from various organisations across Oxfordshire will be present, providing guidance and sharing expertise on post-16 and post-18 educational and career options.
Careers Fest 2024 enjoys the support of the Careers & Enterprise Company who have worked with OxLEP Skills for several years.
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Nigel Tipple, chief executive of OxLEP, said: "Careers Fest has successfully brought together young people and businesses for several years now and has undoubtedly led to many of the county’s students making positive decisions about their future career pathways and the types of industries that they wish to pursue.
“It’s important to remember that in Oxfordshire, we benefit from being home to a range of world-leading businesses and sectors, whether it be science and innovation-led companies or perhaps a tourism industry that can rival any international location.
“With this in mind, we look forward to continuing to play a really important role in linking young people with top employers, helping to inspire future career choices, as well as – in-turn – supporting the retention of talent here in Oxfordshire.”
The exhibitors will present long-term career prospects and also showcase their respective training schemes, including apprenticeships.
And in the run-up to this year's Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards, Oxfordshire Careers Hub is also hosting an apprenticeships webinar for parents, carers, and students on February 6.
In the recently launched 'SIGHT' (Start, Innovate, Grow and Help to Thrive) Impact Report, it was revealed OxLEP Skills collaborated with 36 businesses and forged more than 500 partnerships with firms to effectively engage with communities and schools, recruiting apprentices over the period from October 2016 to March 2023.
Mr Tipple added: “Through events like Careers Fest and the Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards, we hope that we can help to show businesses the value of apprenticeships, as well as demonstrating that there has never been a better time to engage with them."
For more information and to attend the twilight session, or to find out more about the apprenticeships webinar for parents and carers or Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Awards 2024, visit the OxLEP website.
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