Hundreds of people turned up to a jobs fair in London’s East End focusing on the construction industry.
The fair organised at Bethnal Green’s York Hall by Jobcentre and Tower Hamlets council had 400 people coming through the doors on Tuesday.
It offered around 700 careers to choose from in construction, including jobs going on the local authority’s housing improvement programme.
“We’re keen to dispel misconceptions about the industry,” said a Town Hall spokesman. “We want to encourage people to consider construction as a career option.”
A third of all London’s building development in the next 10 years will be in Docklands and the East End, it is estimated. Some regeneration programmes are expected to last 20 years.
Employers and training specialists at the jobs fair spoke to those who dropped into York Hall about the steps they need to take to start their career paths.
Mayor Lutfur Rahman said: “The council and Jobcentre Plus have helped thousands find jobs over the last three years, with 8,000 more people now working in Tower Hamlets than in 2010.”
Employment rate was now 62 per cent, according to Town Hall figures. Some employment programmes had been targeted at school-leavers, women and the long-term unemployed.
Some 7,000 people have gone through the council’s job brokerage service in the past three years, including 3,000 on training courses and 2,000 getting permanent jobs.
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