A jobs fair for school-leavers and youngsters thinking of apprenticeships in construction and housing maintenance trades is being staged in east London today.

The apprenticeship event opens at 10am running until 1am at the Skillsmatch office at Canary Wharf, next to Poplar DLR station.

Placements are available with organisations and contractors working with Tower Hamlets Homes. These include scaffolding, electrical, administration, roofing, painting and other trades.

Employers are on hand to meet anyone applying for apprenticeships, including Axis, Breyers, Keepmoat and Mears. Interviews can be booked with Skillsmatch on 020-7364 3727.

The jobs fair is one of two events by Skillsmatch recruitment service run by Tower Hamlets council to help people find work.

The second event is being held on September 22 at Berkeley Homes at Whitechapel’s Goodman’s Field housing project in Gowers Walk, of Commercial Road, from 3pm to 7pm and open to the public, to meet employers on the site.

The events are part of local authority moves to tackle the East End’s high unemployment.

“It is important that we do as much as we can to help people get jobs,” Tower Hamlets Mayor John Biggs said. “Securing employment is one of my main aims and Skillsmatch is key to that.”

Skillsmatch is based at the council’s employment centre at 55 Upper Bank Street, Canary Wharf, and at the Whitechapel and Poplar Idea stores public library centres.

Its team helps youngsters prepare for work with training, job applications and interview techniques.

Skillsmatch has helped nearly 10,000 people in the East End find work Since 1997, with things like updating a CV, getting ready for job interviews, preparing for the first day in work—and even following up to check how new recruits are getting on in the job.