A hospitality, food, and beverage jobs fair, hosted by Tower Hamlets Council, Canary Wharf Group and New City College, provided 410 residents with 540 career opportunities.
The fair, which was the second of its kind within the borough, was held at East Wintergarden, Canary Wharf and invited residents to engage with 50 local employers.
Attendees had the chance to explore live vacancies, apprenticeships, and training opportunities, along with free courses to upskill and retain.
Cllr Abu Talha Chowdhury, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Skills and Growth, said:
“I’m pleased to see so many local people engaging with the fast-expanding businesses that attended the fair. There are lots of great jobs available in Tower Hamlets, especially within the hospitality sector, which is refreshing to see, and I’m delighted that this event could bring so many people together.
“Making sure that the vacancies in our borough are open and accessible to all is key for the development of our economy. Employment is a very important part of our administration, we want to support people in their journey to finding work, especially in light of the current cost of living rises.”
Providing career support and helping people into work is a priority for Tower Hamlets council. The council employment service, WorkPath, is a unique service that, with its partners, provides support for people at all levels of work, skill or experience.
From basic upskilling to advanced training, work experience to apprenticeships, and even CV and interview help, if you are looking to find employment the service is available to support residents across all different types of career paths.
Employers that attended included Tribe Hotels, Ibérica Restaurants, Six by Nico, Obicà Restaurants, Le Pain Quotidien and many more.
Emma Warden, Associate Director CSR and Community at Canary Wharf Group, said: “We are thrilled with the success of the latest job fair, being able to match local talent with the exciting opportunities that exist in the hospitality sector. We hope to replicate this in the future with more up-and-coming opportunities at Canary Wharf”.
Calley Page, Deputy Director Business Development & Commercial at New City College, said: “It was great to see so many people at the jobs fair. Today’s talent landscape encompasses people from multiple generations who bring distinct perspectives into the workplace. This event is a great way to share vacancies and training opportunities with the local community. We have found this to be extremely worthwhile and a great opportunity to interview prospective candidates instantly.”
Filipe Avillez, General Manager at My Tribe Hotel, attended the event and was looking for 70 new team membersfor positions such as housekeeping, bar, restaurant, maintenance, and finance.
When speaking to Filipe on the day, he said: “Our brand is expanding very quickly, we’re opening 50 in the next couple of years. One hotel is opening on the 1st of August, so we want to hire really soon and we’re looking to have people in on the 1st of July to provide full training on all our systems.
The new hotel will be located in the Canary Wharf Estate and will open in August.
Filipe continued: “The fair has been really good, we’ve been speaking to people none stop. I’ve just had my first break since 9 am (asked at midday) to get a coffee now, so that’s great! For me, living in Tower Hamlets was one of the reasons I took the job (at Tribe) because commuting in London can put you off a good job opportunity, so to work with people from the area is brilliant.”
More recruitment events are now in discussion between the partnership with the expectations of more events being delivered in 2022 and you can contact the WorkPath team.
Posted on Thursday 23rd June 2022