Brentwood Jobs Fair, 7 October: 52 Employers, Free Entry

A free jobs, skills and volunteering fair comes to the Brentwood Centre on Wednesday 7 October, from 11am to 3pm. The organisers’ booking page lists 52 confirmed exhibitors, from care firms and nurseries to colleges, charities and the Royal Navy.

Brentwood Borough Council is running it with Brentwood Jobcentre Plus and Brentwood Community and Voluntary Service (CVS) (Brentwood Borough Council, 21 September). The council says it is open to people of all ages. That includes people starting out, returning to work, retraining or looking for volunteering.

How to go

• Where: The Brentwood Centre, Doddinghurst Road, Pilgrims Hatch, CM15 9NN
• When: Wednesday 7 October, 11am to 3pm
• Cost: free
• Booking: optional. You pick an entry time of 11am, 12pm, 1pm or 2pm on Eventbrite. The booking page says you can also walk in and register at reception.

The booking page says jobseekers aged 16 and over are encouraged to come.

Who will be there

This is the confirmed list on the booking page as of 27 September. We have grouped it by kind; the groupings are ours.

Care, health and support - City and County Healthcare Group - Essex Home Help Service - Home Instead - Frontline Partnership, which supports adults with learning disabilities - Saint Francis Hospice - Papworth Trust - Infinity Foster Care - White Trees, specialist care and education for vulnerable young people - The Chiropractic Centre, Brentwood

Childcare and early years - Early Years Childcare - Little Adventurers Nursery - Step Start Nurseries - The Treehouse Club - Home-Start Essex

Training, colleges and skills - Adult Community Learning Essex - Harlow College - New City College - The Skills Centre - STC Group, construction training from age 16 - Debut Beauty Training Academy - The Academy of Nails & Beauty - Essex Opportunities & Skills - Get Set, Next Steps Essex - Ambitious Essex

Employers in other sectors - A2B Contract Cars - Anglia Home Improvements - AXIS CLC and CLC, property maintenance and compliance - Blue Seriff, a design agency - Everyone Active - L&Q Group, recruiting for housing management - South Coast Port Services - Royal Navy Submarine Service - Brentwood Borough Council

Employment support - Brentwood Jobcentre Plus - Department for Work and Pensions 50PLUS Champions - Connect to Work - Individual Placement and Support (IPS) - Essex Youth Service - 21UP Movement

Charities, volunteering and community groups - Brentwood CVS - Arise Brentwood - Brentwood Access Group - Brentwood Museum - Big Smile Collective - Minus Cloud Nine, The Creative Hub - Oxfam - SNAP Charity - Victim Support - Wilderness Foundation - The Hermit, Brentwood Youth Centre - Essex Library Service

A zone for young people out of work

The council says there will be a Young People’s Zone for 16 to 24-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training. It will offer guidance on routes into work, education and training.

Cllr David Kendall chairs the council’s Finance & Future Development Committee. He said the event would provide “tailored support for young people who are not currently in education, employment or training”.

What it means for you

• If you are looking for work, this is four hours with more than 50 organisations under one roof, a short trip from the town centre. Take a few copies of your CV.
• If you are over 50, the DWP’s 50PLUS Champions will be there.
• If you want to volunteer, about a dozen charities and community groups are on the list.
• If you are a parent of a 16 to 24-year-old who is not working or studying, the Young People’s Zone is aimed at them.

For context, 1,220 people in the borough were claiming unemployment-related benefits in August. Our August claimant count report found that the over-50s accounted for all of the year’s rise.