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Hundreds of businesses turned out yesterday in the glorious sunshine to make a Peterborough career fair the biggest and most successful the city has ever hosted. The all-day event, which was organised by the Peterborough Skills Service, was held on the city’s embankment in huge marquee tents and featured live music.

Thousands of young people from across Peterborough and the surrounding area attended the fair to explore their career options and hundreds of employers were on hand to provide guidance on careers in their industry, with most running interactive activities to engage the young people.

Activities were wide ranging and inventive. They included a car crash crime scene set up by a forensic scientist, a 30’ suspension bridge to showcase engineering design, and even a sports car built by mechanical students at RN Motors, Tops Academy. Colleges, universities and training providers showcased their extensive range of courses and apprenticeships, and employers also provided a CV bootcamp and Dragon’s Den style challenge.

Sue Addison from Peterborough Skills Service was delighted with how the event went, she said: “We’ve received great feedback from schools, employers and young people alike. The event was intended to showcase the broad range of career options available to the young people of Peterborough, and it did just that.

“Our young people need to have the best possible information before they can make informed choices for their future, so we’re extremely grateful to each and every business and organisation that played their part in making this event so successful.”

Leisa Nichols-Drew a forensic science lecturer at University Center Peterborough, said “I think it is important for young adults in the Peterborough area to attend a diverse event like this to initiate an interest in careers they may have never thought of previously. East Anglia is an exciting and varied region which reflects the landscape and the people – and so we should be staging events that showcase the multitude of careers out in the real world.”

The event was held in partnership with the Peterborough DNA programme which has brought a £3 million grant to Peterborough to help drive the development of local skills to meet Peterborough’s future business needs and growth ambitions.