Following our commitment to sign The Armed Forces Covenant which is a promise to ensure that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, are treated fairly, we were invited to attend BFRS Careers Fairs.
These events provide a bespoke forum for the Armed Forces Community (AFC) to meet and network with a diverse group of national and international exhibitors. During the event they can explore and learn about various industry sectors, what careers are available in the current job market, where qualifications already held are sought after, or what they will need, along with meeting potential training providers (ELC Approved Providers), to gain new qualifications towards future employment.
Here at The OPRA Group, we recognise the unique skills and experience that are inherent within the Forces and when we attend these events, we can clearly see by the enthusiasm, courtesy, and the way people hold and present themselves, what a special group they are. From talking to other employers and our clients, we know that they also have the ability to work well with others in a team, the patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations, the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure, have thinking and reasoning skills and the confidence to act quickly. They are a highly diversely skilled set of people.
Our time at the job fairs was filled with chatting to people who were looking for new opportunities for when they leave service. We talked them through our open roles and offered advice on apprenticeships, CVs, interviews, qualifications and how to think about and plan for a change in career. We also spent time networking with businesses who shared the same values as us, we found there were lots of people in construction and engineering businesses and enjoyed making the new connections.
The event was really well attended with over 100 business exhibiting and a constant stream of attendees flowing through throughout. We really enjoyed the hospitality, when we had a moment, plenty of sandwiches, crisps, cakes, sausage rolls and drinks, we can’t wait for the next one!
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