Last Friday, local MP James Cartlidge held his fifth annual Jobs Fair, supporting job seekers and local businesses. It took place at The Stevenson Centre in Great Cornard – with over 500 job seekers attending.
There were also hundreds of opportunities available – with over 500 vacancies advertised by just one exhibitor, Stansted Airport. In all, jobs on display covered the full range of industries - national employers e.g. the Prison Service; to major Suffolk firms, e.g. Sizewell; to local Sudbury businesses, e.g. Metro supply chain logistics and Sudbury Silk Mills. Lots of stands were offering training and apprenticeships - including the University of Suffolk and Apprenticeships Suffolk.
James Cartlidge MP says: “I was delighted to host my fifth Jobs Fair in Cornard last week. It was a really successful morning with more than 500 attendees and, most importantly, hundreds of fantastic opportunities on offer for them in our local economy. One particular highlight was meeting Dee who secured a job at Metro after attending my Jobs Fair in Great Cornard four years ago. She was back this year, but behind the stand this time looking for new recruits. Dee loves her job so is a real-life success story for Sudbury and truly embodies what this is all about. Whilst these are challenging times for our local economy, we need to positive about Sudbury’s strengths. There may be fewer vacancies than in recent years – but, by any measure, still more than enough posts available for those on benefits who want them and are willing to put in a shift. We need to get our economic mojo back and I’ll continue doing all I can to support my top priority of getting people from welfare into work – good for the dignity of those on benefits; good for taxpayers, who are under huge strain, and critical if we are to put our public finances on a sustainable footing’.