FOR those about to enter the world of work or for those seeking a new career Southampton’s O2 Guildhall was the place to be yesterday.

It was the venue for the Daily Echo Jobs Fair which attracted hundreds of job seekers of all ages.

The hall was filled with stands from a range of employers and training providers, as well as organisations promoting volunteering opportunities.

The care industry was the most heavily represented sector, showing the increasing need for people to care for our growing elderly population.

A spokesman for All Care said that the firm employs staff in the Southampton area caring for 400 clients but is always looking to expand its service.

In addition to carers, HGV drivers are also in demand. The UK is currently 60,000 HGV drivers short and it is predicted that by 2020 there will be a shortfall of 150,000 drivers, say industry experts.

Surprisingly there were no representatives from the haulage or logistics present.

Tina Bige, deputy business development manager with JobCentre Plus, said “There is a massive demand for drivers in Southampton at the moment

“The cost of training can be quite high and that may be putting some people off.”

Bus company First, who also run the City Red services, said they were always on the lookout for drivers and provided training.

Team leader Alan Blake said the the life of a bus driver had much to recommend it. “There’s a sense of independence from the time you start your day to the time you finish you are pretty much your own boss.”

Another area where drivers are needed is in city’s busy port. Southampton Cargo Handling (SCH) and its sister company Pathfinder Personnel recruitment agency need people to drive cars off and on huge vehicle carriers which are almost daily visitors to the docks.

Almost 900,000 vehicles pass through the Port of Southampton each year and SCH has a pool of drivers – many retired or semi-retired people who like the flexibility of the job.

Charlotte Nancarrow, agency manager at Pathfinder, said that special training is provided for the drivers who might be tasked with manoeuvering a brand new Bentley or BMW in a tight spot.

More and more young people are looking at apprenticeships as a way into work.

Nicola Wray of the National Careers Service said that there was a big push on to get more into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) apprenticeships in response to demand from employers and the Local Enterprise Partnerships.

Nicola said that there was still a misconception that apprenticeships were still restricted to practical careers like construction or hairdressing, while in reality there were many more with an academic focus.

She said that apprenticeships were a viable alternative to university for many young people and came with the added bonus that they would be paid during their training and would not saddle themselves with a massive student loan.

Nicola said degrees were still valuable in whatever subject as anyone who had completed a degree course showed dedication and commitment.

Employers are attracted to applicants with work experience and one of way getting that is by volunteering.

James Trezise of the Prince’s Trust said: “If you have gaps in your CV and you have been using your time to do voluntary work rather than just sitting around that shows commitment.”

The Trust were at the fair to promote the wide range of projects they run to prepare people for work, by building confidence and team-working skills.

One of those programmes is currently run with high street chain TK Maxx who offer youngsters work experience and references for future employers.