Deciding on a trade, profession or tertiary education path after school can be hard and confusing for many young people in Sutherland Shire. But help is at hand with the second annual Broaden Your Horizons Careers Fair to be held on Thursday 21 July.
Hundreds of students in years 10-12 in the Shire will get the chance to pick the brains of local industry and trade experts, tertiary education advisers as well as talent from some of the country’s leading companies at the Careers Fair created by Cronulla Sharks and its development partner Capital Bluestone.
Following from last year’s award-winning inaugural event, Sutherland Shire Council and Sutherland Shire Business Chamber have come on board to help young people assess their options after school.
The fair is highly interactive, with students encouraged to try activities at each stall, and the yearly event is one of many initiatives the new partnership group of Capital Bluestone, Cronulla Sharks, Sutherland Shire Council and Sutherland Shire Business Chamber want to work on to try and connect young people to work experience and training opportunities.
Born and bred Shire resident and Capital Bluestone Managing Director Ben Fairfax says his vision behind the Careers Fair is to give the next generation of Shire workers a head start on their career paths.
“In what is sure to be an eye-opening experience, students will gain helpful insights from real people with hands-on experience in professions in industries such as sport, construction, engineering, art, the environment, finance, hospitality, the law, communications, real estate and emergency services,” he says.
“Capital Bluestone actually hosted a work experience student recently as a result of the inaugural Careers Fair and we hope many more students take up similar opportunities with stallholders this year.”
Students from Caringbah High School, Cronulla High School, Endeavour Sports High School and Woolooware High School will take part in the Careers Fair.
Sutherland Shire Council Mayor Carmelo Pesce hopes the Careers Fair will open students’ eyes to the varied employment opportunities in the Shire.
"The Sutherland Shire is home to a wide range of businesses and professionals providing a huge number of services, I'm excited by events such as this Careers Fair for the opportunities and valuable advice it provides our young people as they weigh up choices for the next chapter of their life,” he says.
Sharks Group Chief Executive Officer Lyall Gorman says the Club is keen to continue with this successful event that received a “Highly Commended” Award at the ClubsNSW 2016 Clubs & Community Awards.
“Working out ‘what comes next’ when school’s over can be really tough. We see this as a great opportunity to connect with the local community on such a important issue like employment and having a robust plan for the future,” he says.
Last year, more than 600 students attended the inaugural event, with 145 stallholders representing over 30 different industries and educational institutions.
The second annual Broaden Your Horizons Careers Fair will be held in the Auditorium of Sharkies Leagues Club on Thursday July 21 from 9am to 12.30pm.