The Rt. Hon Grant Shapps, MP for Welwyn Hatfield and Secretary of State for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, opened the biggest ever Generation event to over 1,000 students from across Welwyn Hatfield.

Speaking at the event on 24 February, the Energy Minister talked at first hand about his own family’s routes into work and how apprenticeships are now valued career pathways.

Rt. Hon Grant Shapps MP said: "My son did an apprenticeship instead of completing his A-levels and he found it absolutely fantastic, while his sister took a more conventional route by going to university. We have seen how both of those routes work equally successfully. I am probably the only Cabinet Member without a degree, and I didn’t do A-levels either which goes to show you don’t have to take a traditional path to be successful."

Generation Welwyn Hatfield is the eighth careers fair of its kind from Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) showcasing the wealth of opportunities available to young people within the county.

Billed as ‘a brilliant example’ of how places can support young people to make informed career decisions by two Apprenticeships Ministers, the Generation events have gone from strength to strength since the first Generation Stevenage event in the height of the pandemic in 2020.

The careers fair shines a spotlight on local job, apprenticeship and training opportunities, giving young people and their parents/carers a chance to discover local employers, learn about the roles and entry routes on offer and the skills desired from potential candidates. They provide a valuable opportunity for employers to strengthen their relationship with local schools and colleges and develop their future talent pipeline.

Crucially, they also help raise awareness of Hertfordshire LEP’s flagship skills and careers portal HOP (Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal), which enables young people, carers, parents and teachers to access all the resources they need to make informed career decisions and for employers to connect with education.

Held at The Fielder Centre in Hatfield, Generation Welwyn Hatfield was led by Hertfordshire LEP’s HOP team in partnership with Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, part-funded by The Careers & Enterprise Company.  The Rt. Hon Grant Shapps MP was joined for the official opening by Welwyn Hatfield Mayor Councillor Barbara Fitzsimon, Leader of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council Cllr Tony Kingsbury and Adrian Hawkins OBE, Incoming Chairman of Hertfordshire LEP and Chair, Skills and Employment Board. This careers fair was supported by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Adrian Hawkins OBE said: "It was fantastic to welcome so many young people and such a wide range of employers. Over the past two years, Generation events have enabled thousands of students to find out about future job opportunities on their doorstep and helped local employers meet their sustainability targets. For many young people this may have been their first time engaging directly with an employer and we hope they have been inspired to find out more about working in such diverse fields from the creative sector to catering, life sciences to leisure."

Cllr Tony Kingsbury said: "We were fortunate to have a wide range of employers at the fair and it was great to see visitors take full advantage of the opportunity to engage with them and learn about new industries, explore potential career paths and gain insights into the skills and experience that employers are looking for.

"I would like to thank the LEP and all the exhibitors for agreeing to share their knowledge, experience, and advice with the borough’s young people, to inspire and inform their career choices and raise awareness and understanding of the skills necessary to compete for current roles and the jobs of the future within their organisations and industries. The council is committed to doing all we can to facilitate local employment opportunities and we look forward to more events like this throughout 2023."

Speaking about why this fair was so important, a representative from ComputaCenter UK, said: "This event is crucial because it opens doors for students in their local area, particularly [in finding out more] about apprenticeship programmes. We have a surplus of opportunities and it gives young people an idea of what they can do when they finish school."

Exhibitors spanned a diverse range of industries and sectors from film and TV and retail giants such as Sky Studios and Tesco to careers in life sciences with Cell & Gene Therapy Catapult, engineering and defence with MBDA, as well as sports and leisure and various public sector services such as Hertfordshire Constabulary, the NHS and  social care services.

A student from Onslow St Audrey’s School, Hatfield, said: "I feel like this is an opportunity for students that you wouldn’t normally get, and it has helped me get to know more about work experiences and apprenticeships that will help us with our future."

Steve Trotter, Careers Hub Operations Lead, said: "It was so great to see the 1,000 Welwyn Hatfield students interacting so well with the brilliant employers present, to help them to make their next best step. We even had some students being offered work experience and apprenticeship interviews!"

The next Generation careers fair will come to the Spotlight Theatre, Hoddesdon, on 14 March for schools and young people in Broxbourne. Find out more about Generation Broxbourne, other upcoming events and access a huge range of careers information on HOP – www.hopinto.co.uk.