BBC Biggest Weekend Fringe Employability Event

/in

The BBC Big Weekend is coming to Swansea in May, and those lucky enough to secure tickets will get the opportunity to see headline acts such as Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran perform. In the build-up, the BBC have been running a range of fringe events across the country as part of a creative and comprehensive outreach programme which has included live musical performances, industry insight, workshops, Q&A’s with influential figures, employability events and work experience opportunities.

On Friday 27th April, the Better Jobs, Better Futures team attended the BBC Biggest Weekend Fringe Employability Event held at the Grand Theatre in Swansea. Aimed at young people aged 16-24, the day was made up of interactive workshops and Q&A’s, as well as a marketplace area with a wide range of organisations on hand to provide employability advice, guidance and support.

Participants could choose from a range of workshops which included:

  • Using social media to your advantage hosted by Freeformers
  • Applying for Jobs: Identifying your Strengths hosted by BBC Resourcing and Talent
  • Confidence Building hosted by LearnThruWork

There were also Career Q&A sessions with influential figures including Nathan John from Rewise Learning, Liam Burgess from Nom Nom chocolate (we thoroughly enjoyed our samples thank you!), Caroline Thomas – CEO of Be the Spark, Dom Wallace from Deezer, Paul Harwood from the Tech Hub and Swansea City’s very own Lee Trundle. Participants who attended also had the opportunity to apply for some fantastic and unique work experience opportunities at the Big Weekend including working as part of the Artist Liaison Team, Live Music Team and Production Team as well as opportunities to work as Stage Assistants and Broadcast Assistants.

In attendance at the event was one of our Futures Academy student’s, Gus.

“The BBC event was fantastic! I learned a lot about myself and I now know exactly what skills employers are looking for. The Q&A session was so useful and I found it really inspiring listening to the speaker’s journey, their interests and how they got to be where they are today. I am definitely going to apply for one of the work experience opportunities with the support of my Futures Hub Coach and this event has made me really excited about my future.”

The day was a huge success and the Better Jobs, Better Futures team had the opportunity to reach out to lots of brilliant young people, from GCSE students starting out on their career journey, college leavers not knowing what steps to take next, University students looking for career advice and young people looking for summer work. The team are very much looking forward to supporting all of these young people (and more!) with their employability needs. So, if you’re looking for career support contact the team today on 01792 284450 or drop us a message here.