SAUL Chand was one of hundreds of Oxfordshire students finding out more about jobs and training yesterday.

The 15-year-old St Gregory's pupil learned about light circuits with electrical contractor Clarkson Evans, which has openings for up to 10 trainee electricians.

Clarkson Evans was one of more than 40 employers, including British Gas, BP, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Thames Valley Police and Oxford University, at the Mini Plant in Cowley for the second of a two-day CareersFest.

Saul said: "I've watched my dad doing DIY and have picked things up."

Clarkson Evans' sales and marketing director Elaine Hodgin [ok] said: “Oxfordshire is a booming area for construction and we handle the wiring for all the major housebuilders, including Taylor Wimpey and Bovis.

“The young people we’ve met are incredibly enthusiastic and we have spoken to a number who are interested.

"There's a lot more competition out there for the best candidates, so we’re not just offering training, this is a long-term career in that 68 per cent of our apprentices, once qualified, stay with us.”

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The job fair comes as the number of Oxfordshire young people on the dole has fallen by half during the past year.

New figures from the Office of National Statistics show that there were 510 18 to 24-year-olds on the dole last month, compared to 915 in December 2013.

It follows a long-term downward trend in the number of job seekers in Oxfordshire, with 2,869 people across the county signing on in December last year, which is less than one per cent of the county’s population.

BMW’s head of apprenticeship and associated training Dr Simon Farrell highlighted that the closing date on applications for apprenticeships in engineering, HR, logistics and IT is January 31.

He said: “This is something we are delighted to host because it gives us a chance to put something back into the community.

“From our point of view as a local employer, we try to make it as easy for people to apply as possible, so the timing of this year’s event, which is slightly earlier than normal, supports our own recruitment a bit better.”

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