Scores of vacancies to be on offer today (February 22) at Youth Jobs Fair in Peterborough

Employers will be offering scores of vacancies to young job seekers today (February 22) at a special careers event in Peterborough.

A Youth Jobs Fair is being held at the Jobs Centre in Bridge Street from 10.30am to 12.30pm with at least 18 employers set to take part.

The move is part of efforts by the Department of Work and Pensions to get more young people aged 18 to 24-years-old into the workplace.

New figures from the DWP show there are now 1,095 people aged 18 to 24-years-old in Peterborough currently claiming Universal Credit and unemployment benefits – down from 1,240 a year ago."

Employers that have agreed to take place so far include the NHS, Diligenta, Anglian Water with providers include NCS, Back2Work and the Prince's Trust.

Stephen Lankester, from East Anglia Jobcentre Plus, said: “So far we have 18 stands booked with a range of both provider and employer offerings, including apprenticeships."

The Youth Fair comes hot on the heels of an Apprenticeships Jobs Fair in Peterborough, which attracted 200 customers with 19 exhibitors covering conservation to hairdressing, offering apprenticeships, traineeships, employment and training opportunities.

Just 10 months ago, Peterborough MP Paul Bristow helped launch a campaign to reduce unemployment among young people in Peterborough by half in two years.

It was triggered by concerns about the number of youngsters leaving school with too few skills and seemingly not interested in finding work.