 |
 |
| Press releases | |
|
29 June 2007 Quarrying Industry Targets Forces Personnel for Managers of the FutureThe Quarrying Industry has united in the search for the quarry managers of the future by attending a unique careers event in Perth organised by the MoD's Careers Transition Partnership. The Employment Fair was attended by nearly 500 forces personnel, all researching career opportunities as they approach the end of their active service. On-hand to promote careers within the quarrying industry were major industry operators Tarmac, Aggregate Industries and Ennstone Thistle, as well as support from both the Quarry Products Association (QPA) , the British Aggregates Association (BAA) and Proskills. The QPA and BAA together with Proskills have been developing a relationship with the Careers Transition Partnership following the identification of skills similarities between departing forces personnel and the extractives industry. With the majority of the MoD's delegates at the exhibition having developed excellent man-management skills, technical know-how and responsible attitudes, quarry operators had no shortage of impressive CVs to take home with them. Other quarry operators are now being encouraged to attend forthcoming MoD careers fairs such was the positive experience at the event. With the industry struggling to find the right calibre of candidate in some parts of the country to join this vital industry, it is hoped that future attendance at such events could go some way to addressing the shortfall. Industry representatives at the Perth Careers Fair had no hesitation in recommending the vast majority of the forces personnel to apply to the Industry's approved quarrying training schemes, with delegates reciprocating with very positive reactions to careers opportunities in the sector. The Quarry Products Association's John Sheridan said: "this event has been a real eye-opener for the quarrying industry and we've been nothing but impressed by what service leavers can offer our sector. Our three major operators here today have gone home laden with high quality CVs from motivated, technically skilled and highly responsible individuals and that's a clear message for other quarrying companies to get involved with forthcoming careers fairs. " The Employment & Training Manager for CTP in Scotland, Romana Grant said: "our Service Leavers found it really useful to speak directly to an industry sector they might not have considered for a career before. It was clearly a win-win situation as they found that their skills matched many of the requirements of the quarrying industry, while the industry in turn seemed highly impressed by what our Service Leavers have to offer." Proskills has been working closely with the CTP and other forces personnel over the last six months to develop an information pack that was specifically tailored to meet the needs of and attract servicemen and women from all branches of the armed forces. The pack enabled service personnel to clearly understand the different roles and opportunities that exist within the extractive and mineral processing sector. The qualifications and experiences required for these roles were related back to service experience and job titles where appropriate. A copy of the pack is available as a PDF download on the Proskills website at www.proskills.co.uk . Operators interested in finding out more about the schedule of careers fairs for 2007 should visit the Service Leavers website at http://www.ctp.org.uk. Employers with vacancies to fill can register with the CTP website, Employers Section and gain access to the on-line vacancy website, Rightjob, which allows employers to advertise vacancies free of charge and Service Leavers interested in vacancies can apply direct to the employers. For more information on the extractives and minerals processing sectors relationship with the Careers Transition Partnership please call the Proskills Help Line on 01235 432 032. ENDS |
