In a resounding show of community support, the Kick into your Future Employment Fair, hosted by Millwall Community Trust in partnership with the Job Centre Plus (JCP) and the Groundswell Project, brought hope and opportunity to hundreds of job seekers.
With nearly 500 attendees and more than 50 employers offering a wide range of job opportunities and employment support, the event marked significant progress since the last fair held in February. In the face of national and local challenges, including the ongoing cost of living crisis, securing meaningful employment opportunities has become crucial to tackling these issues.
Millwall Community Trust expressed immense pride in hosting what is rapidly becoming the largest community-led job fair in the Southwark and Lewisham areas on an annual basis. The event's success wouldn't have been possible without the dedicated efforts of employers, Job Centre Plus staff, and the Millwall Community Trust team.
To watch an interview on the day, click
MCT’s Education and Employability Manager, John Scarborough said: “We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the employers who attended and made every effort to provide opportunities for our local community to rejoin the workforce.
“Additionally, the local Job Centre Plus staff- in collaboration with fellow Millwall staff - worked tirelessly to ensure the event ran smoothly and effectively for all the job seekers who attended. Without their collective hard work and support, events like this would not be possible.”
Millwall Community Trust also acknowledged the pivotal role played by the Groundswell Project in connecting partners and employers. Their assistance was instrumental in making the event a success.
As the Southwark and Lewisham communities look forward to the next employment fair, there is hope that this community-led and coordinated employment support job fair will become a regular fixture in community employment events, providing a valuable platform for job seekers and employers alike.
Josephine Sheehan, from JCP said: “Kick Into Your Future Job Fair at Millwall Community Trust in partnership with DWP and Groundswell Project on 20th September 2023 was our second collaborative Job Fair to work together again to support the community into paid employment, apprenticeships or training.
“I am very happy to say the event was a success, we had 50+ exhibitors on the day which included Kings College, Home Office, Lost Property Hotels, Met Police, Bayleaf, Change Please, Homewood, Millwall, Oasis Care, The Skills Centre, Ministry of Sound and many more with a variety of roles for everyone.
“There were Civil Service presentations on the day where customers gained all the information on how to apply for vacancies within Government departments.
“We had over 400+ customers attend with 150+ offers made on the day. The majority of the customers came from the Southwark and Lewisham areas but there were customers who attended from across all South London areas which was nice to see as the event was open to all.
“Customers found the information on the day useful to support them in the future.
“It was a valuable event as Millwall Community Trust was able to show the support that is offered on a daily basis at their centre and by working in partnership with DWP the range of support that can be accessed to support customers and their families in their day to day lives.
“The event helped us to provide services to help the needs of the community and how we can all work together to organise other events for the community.
“This partnership is growing and we can build more opportunities for the community.
“The enthusiasm and atmosphere on the day was magical, it was so nice to see so many happy faces leaving the event.”
To find out more about Millwall Community Trust’s Education and Employability’s department visit: https://millwall.charityhive.dev/education
