Hundreds of jobseekers descended on ACC Liverpool for a major post-Eurovision recruitment fair.
The event built on the success of the city region’s Eurovision recruitment drive which aimed to fill thousands of vacancies in the thriving hospitality and leisure sector ahead of the Song Contest in May.
The latest jobs fair, called ‘Beyond Eurovision – One Step Further’, attracted more than 600 jobseekers, 30 employers and 12 training providers with more than 650 vacancies available in the visitor sector and other parts of the economy.
It featured hospitality and leisure firms as well as the NHS, health and social care providers, the Army and firms working in logistics, security and retail – with some roles attracting salaries of more than £30,000-a-year and on-the-day job offers made to suitable candidates.
Early figures from the event show 74 people were offered jobs on the day, with 127 securing second interviews and 129 application forms handed out.
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Executive Director for Investment and Delivery, Aileen Jones, said:
“Eurovision was a huge boost for the Liverpool City Region, its people and its visitor economy, and the recruitment fairs we held were extremely popular and very successful.
“This latest event builds on that momentum, widening the focus from the visitor economy to other sectors, including health, social care, security, logistics and retail.”
The latest event was the last in a Eurovision-themed recruitment campaign organised by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Liverpool City Council and the Growth Platform, with venue support from ACC Liverpool.
Starting on March 1 with a major jobs fair at ACC Liverpool, the campaign saw more than 3,000 people attend events across the city region.
A series of careers roadshows were held including mini recruitment events, a campaign to raise awareness of the hospitality and tourism economy and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) pop-up jobcentres in Liverpool ONE and across the region.
Work is now underway to gauge the economic effect of hosting Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine, which saw an estimated half a million extra visitors to the city region and a TV audience of 162 million viewers. A report is expected later this year.
Initial feedback from the recruitment events showed that 3,287 jobseekers, 173 employers and 52 skills support providers attended the events.
More than 6,000 vacancies were advertised with 394 on-the-day job offers and 3,216 second interviews.
The campaign showcased current vacancies and long-term careers in the city region’s £5bn visitor economy.
Janet Nuzum, Visitor Economy Sector Manager at Growth Platform – Liverpool City Region Growth Company said:
“It is important we continue to build on the amazing success we had delivering recruitment fairs across the city region under the banner of Eurovision.
“These events showed us what an appetite there is for people looking for roles in hospitality and the wider visitor economy.
“That is why the ‘Eurovision and Beyond’ recruitment fair went beyond the hospitality sector and showcase job opportunities across a range of sectors, including the visitor economy, health, retail, security, education and logistics, to name but a few.”
Nicki O’Connor, NW Strategic Partnership Lead for the DWP, added:
“Working with our partners across the City Region we want to build on the success of Eurovision and support those who either need a first step into work or managed to gain some experience during the event and can look into wider sectors.
“The support we can provide can also assist those returning to work in later life or to help them consider their transferable skills for other sectors.”
Last year, Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, unveiled a £4.5m, two-year strategy with a raft of urgent interventions and longer-term measures to help the city region’s hospitality and tourism industry return to full health after it was devastated by the pandemic.
In October 2022, Be More – a new, all-in-one training and careers portal, complete with an AI-powered app – was launched to connect residents with employment and opportunities.
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