TNG, a national welfare to work organisation helping deliver people from benefits into work, held a Job Fair at the Wyvern Hall, Sittingbourne, on 28th February, to help bring employers and jobseekers under the same roof.

Around 185 people attended the day, looking for vacancies with employers such as the Prison Service, retailer Wilkinsons, Kent County Council, security company Right Guard, Job Centre Plus, the Citizens Advice Bureau, the Compass Group, and the Body Shop At Home. CareUK, G4S, Town and Country Cleaners, Wilkinsons, Job Centre Plus and Compass Group who were recruiting for their contracts in Asda and Sainsbury.

TNG helps one in three people who walk through its doors in Kent to find work, and helped over 1,600 people in Kent find work in the last three years. TNG helps individuals who are struggling to find work identify their barriers to work, these vary depending on the individual, but can include a lack of qualifications, a lack of work experience, a lack of confidence, health-related issues, childcare issues, a criminal record, etc. Once these are identified, customers are assigned to a TNG ran programme aimed at helping them overcome their barriers to work.

TNG also works closely with employers, offering recruitment services to local employers. TNG takes care of all of the application paperwork, and pre-screening, while employers receive top quality candidates, tailored to their vacancies, while at the same time providing a route for members of the local community to get off benefits.

The job fair also gave job seekers the opportunity to take part in workshops on motivation, confidence building and wellbeing, Application Form filling and CV workshops as well as the chance to listen to guest speaker Paul Andrews, CEO of www.jobsinkent.co.uk, Kent's largest job site.

Juliet Shand, Employer Relationship Managers Team Leader at TNG, said, “Our job fair was a huge success, providing a platform for jobseekers and prospective employers to come together under one roof. Hosting job fairs such as this is just one example of how TNG works with employers and individuals to help move people from unemployment into sustainable work.

"At TNG, we help one in three people who come through our doors into work. We do that through a combination of helping people overcome their barriers to work, alongside working with employers to fill their recruitment needs. Using this approach, when individuals move into employment, they are truly 'job ready', having found ‘right’ job for them."