Now in its sixth year, ‘Opportunity Knocks’, Ryedale’s flagship careers event, welcomed several new employers to showcase the variety of job opportunities and training routes available in and around Ryedale to our future workforce.
The Opportunity Knocks event is designed to influence and raise the career aspirations of students from the area, and to support companies based in Ryedale to access the brightest local talent.
The 15th November event at Lady Lumley’s School, Pickering, was attended by over 600 students from four Ryedale Schools – Norton College, Ryedale School, Malton School and Lady Lumley’s School. The event was also supported by The Careers and Enterprise Company, which links senior volunteers from business to work with schools to help them with their career strategy and employment activities, and the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Enterprise Partnership.
John Brockett, General Manager of Derwent Training Association, explained, ‘’Opportunity Knocks is a fantastic event as it gives school pupils in Ryedale the ability to meet our employers and training providers to find out about real career opportunities that exist locally”.
At the event, students were able to try out specialist engineering and other hands-on tasks and discuss the many exciting career paths available in and around Ryedale. Students competed for a prize by demonstrating the knowledge they gained at the event about the different options companies can offer them.
Luke Clemmit, Farm Account Handler at Malton-based McClarrons, represented the insurance broker at Opportunity Knocks. He was appointed to the role in January 2017 after finding out about the career opportunities at McClarrons at the 2016 Opportunity Knocks, when he was still at school. Luke said ‘Having joined the fun and hardworking Farm Team, I started my training in the company systems, processes and products. I now deal with farming and equine clients on a daily basis, ensuring they have the protection they need and answering any queries they have’.
Companies and organisations that took place in Opportunity Knocks this year included: The Army, Derwent Training, York College, Ellis Patents, Coventry University Scarborough Campus, York St John, Access to Music, Job Centre Plus, Tyro Training, Yormed, Marshalls, Sirius Minerals, North York Moors National Parks, Apprenticeship, Support and Knowledge Project, and Nestlé. These cover a wide range of different employment and training sectors, including high-tech engineering, countryside management, health care and manufacturing.
The event was supported by Ryedale District Council as part of its ambition to support growth and help local people access job opportunities. The Council’s Policy and Resources Chair, Cllr Luke Ives, said, “Events such as this are a fantastic way of highlighting the many different work opportunities in the Ryedale area. It’s a really useful tool for both the students and the employers too, who get to meet potential employees of the future. Supporting dialogue between schools and businesses is a very practical way in which the Council can help to drive growth and new investment in our area.”