NEWSROOM

NEWS & BLOG

Social Mobility Careers Fair Connects Talented Young Londoners with Top Companies

On Thursday, 26th September we held our sixth annual Social Mobility Careers Fair at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster. For the third year running, the Fair was jointly supported by CMC Markets and the Peter Cruddas Foundation.

Dave Worsfold – Operations Director, CMC Markets – deep in conversation

The employers exhibiting at the event were:

AccentureBroadway Malyan, Capgemini, Civil Service Fast Stream, CMC Markets, HM Treasury, IPG Mediabrands, LidlMindshare, Reed Smith LLP, Royal Air Force, RPC Law Firm

As well as the main exhibiting room, the Fair also provided mock interview and CV review areas where attendees could get professional advice from experienced volunteers on how to stand out at all stages of the application process.

This year, we had over 200 young people between the ages of 16-30 attend. As with all Making The Leap initiatives, we focused on quality interactions and tangible outcomes. Our aim is for every person who attended to get a career opportunity from the Fair, while each employer that exhibited will have access to talented young people that may not ordinarily come within their radar.

The Reed Smith team enjoying quality engagements

Indeed this was something that Dave Worsfold, Operations Director at CMC Markets, valued about this Careers Fair: “We’re here today to show our support but also to showcase our company opportunities for young people looking to join CMC Markets and get their foot in the door of financial services. We’re looking for new people to come in that will reflect society as a whole. This is actually an easy way for us to tap talent in one place and one morning.”

This was backed up by Holly Allen, Graduate Recruitment Manager at Reed Smith LLP, who commented on the benefits of “having valuable conversations with young people who may not ordinarily believe that they can apply or are welcome to apply to a Firm such as ours.”

One attendee who could speak from both sides of the fence, as a Client Services Executive at CMC Markets but also a Making The Leap Fellow, was Emmanuel (read his Success Story here). Upon graduating from university, Emmanuel completed the Making The Leap Workshop and attended the 2018 Careers Fair: “It’s good exposure for a young person. I was here a year ago – it puts you out there and you get to meet people who might become your colleagues. You have to make the most of every opportunity that’s given to you.”

Another attendee determined to make the most of all the opportunities available was Chandni, who heard about the Careers Fair via her local Job Centre Plus: “I met a Making The Leap ambassador who invited me. It’s very busy, there are lots of opportunities available and lots of friendly people to talk to about the careers on offer.”

A Capgemini Exhibitor, left, with Making The Leap Fellow Sherya

With an ambition to go into policy-making, Chandni believes this is the beginning of her realising her ambitions: “HM Treasury and the Civil Service Fast Stream stood out to me. They both offer a graduate programme for policy-focused careers, which I personally am interested in. I have applied to lots of places but been hitting a wall when I get to the interview stage. I think the Making The Leap Workshop will help me in that regard.”

Another young person engaging with Making The Leap for the first time was Tiffany, who had been struggling with CV structure and relevant work experience since moving to the UK from South Africa. At the Careers Fair, Tiffany found “being able to speak to someone and having an interview prior to actually going into the representatives of different businesses was very helpful.”

Connection made! An exhibitor from HM Treasury with a Making The Leap Fellow

Beyond getting some great CV advice, she also learned a lot about the different opportunities available at different companies: “You don’t have to join a Law Firm just to practice law – you can offer your services as a social media marketer – there are always different roles you can find in a company.”

Sherya, a Making The Leap Fellow, was keen to reiterate this point: “You might look at a finance company but if you talk to them you find out they have roles in IT or other sectors, so make sure you talk to everyone.” While Tiffany and Chandni are looking forward to joining the Workshop, graduate Sherya had some retrospective feedback:

“I could have spent those three weeks doing nothing. Instead, I’ve become more confident and gained knowledge on corporate environments that I didn’t have before. Just in general, meeting new people and getting into the habit of working really helped me.”

The Making The Leap Social Mobility Careers Fair is an annual event but our soft skills and employability training Workshop runs monthly. To find out more about how we can improve your confidence, raise your aspirations and help you achieve your career goals, contact us using the details below.

For young people: engagement@mtl.org.uk
For organisations: eugene.blavo@mtl.org.uk
Telephone: 020 8962 1900

Check out all the pictures from the Fair here.

More news & blog:
Career change |  3 ways to be confident in your search

Career change | 3 ways to be confident in your search

Making a career change can be daunting, but it's something that many people consider at various stages of their career journey. You may have recognised that the path you’ve chosen is not the one for you, but it's important to remember that you're not alone in this....

The Social Mobility Careers Fair 2021: here’s what you missed

The Social Mobility Careers Fair 2021: here’s what you missed

On the 6th and 7th of October, we hosted our 8th annual Social Mobility Careers Fair, which for the second consecutive year took place online. This year’s event was supported by finance and stock exchange firm, CMC Markets and the associated charity, The Peter Cruddas...

How Climate Change is Affecting the Job Market

How Climate Change is Affecting the Job Market

  As you may be aware, we’ve kept ourselves busy with masterclasses this past year. We’ve had the pleasure of meeting many (and varied) professionals that have provided our young people with the skills needed to succeed. You can read more about the different...

Share This