Careers for young people will take centre stage during an event that will be held at Suffolk New College on Monday 3 November 2025.
The Suffolk FutureSkills Fair will welcome 3000 youngsters and over 70 businesses to a fun and interactive jobs showcase that will be held at Rope Walk in Ipswich.
The occasion takes place between 9 am and 3 pm and aims to inspire the young people attending to understand the exciting careers available to them in this region and beyond.
Some companies that have signed up as sponsors include Anglian Larder, John Grose, Morgan Sindall and Sizewell C.
Other sponsors include ABP, Barnes Construction, Chassis Cab, Cory Bros, Kier, J McCann, Riverhills Health Club and Spa, Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, and S&P Ventilation Services.
Sectors being represented intend to highlight the big industries in the county and will include construction, energy, leisure and tourism, ports, logistics and retail.
But there is still an opportunity for businesses and schools to sign up, according to organiser Charlotte Rossiter. She said: “We want young people in the county to dream big and be optimistic about their futures and this is why we have joined forces with many partners to create this event for the second year running.
“So far 3000 students have signed up to come along, and we want to give them information about all of the amazing job opportunities that there are in this county and make them aware of some of the brilliant companies that they can work for. It’s all about inspiring the next generation and getting them to dream big.”
Ahead of the SkillsFair, a number of key partners met up in Chefs’ Whites restaurant at the college to network and discuss plans ahead of the big day.
They included Elliot Murphy, a skills development manager at Sizewell C. Elliot said: “Suffolk New College help us deliver the skills we need to help deliver this enormous project. In terms of the Suffolk FutureSkills Fair, we will be in the Net Zero hub talking with thousands of students. I think the reach of the college is pretty spectacular, and everyone should consider attending this event to access this future skills pipeline.”
Another partner of this event is John Grose Group. Steve Syrett is a service director for this company. He said: “The college means a lot to me as I did some training here many years ago. They provide our technicians of the future. We are going to do several activities, including a pit stop challenge at the Suffolk FutureSkills Fair.”
Alister Broadberry is an area director for Morgan Sindall. Alister was excited about the Suffolk FutureSkills Fair and his relationship with the college. He said: “I’m a local lad and I’ve been in and around the college a lot of my working life so it really means a lot to me. We will be bringing some of our apprentices along to the fair to talk to the youngsters about all of the exciting opportunities in the industry. I’d say to others – get involved.”
Other key partners included Kamil Choury for Anglian Larder and Thabiso Bube from National Grid.
For more information visit: www.suffolk.ac.uk/futureskills-fair or contact the organiser, Charlotte Rossiter on 01473 382856 or email charlotterossiter@suffolk.ac.uk