Nearly 170 jobs may have been created by Wednesday’s Jobs and Skills Expo at Batemans Bay Soldiers Club.
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“Our feedback from exhibitors was that 169 job vacancies will be filled in the coming days and weeks,” event spokesman Paul Creedon said.
“This a fantastic outcome.”
Over 600 people dropped in to the expo to see 47 exhibitors and hear addresses from the likes of Federal Employment Participation Minister Kate Ellis and Eden-Monaro MP Mike Kelly.
“At first, 200 job vacancies were put up on the wall but, by the end, 323 had been put up,” Mr Creedon said.
“This shows the quality of the people there, that jobseekers were seen to be a good fit for jobs that will become available.”
The Eurobodalla was chosen as a venue for the expo due to its higher-than-national average unemployment rate.
“This is the 68th time this event has been held around the country, and 24,400 jobs have been created,” Mr Creedon said.
Ms Ellis said she was impressed with the beauty of Batemans Bay and optimistic about what the expo could do for the community.
“This is about transforming lives,” she said.
“We want to stand shoulder to shoulder with those who are not in the workforce but want to be.”
Eurobodalla Mayor Lindsay Brown said the expo was a “fantastic opportunity to seek work”.
“For those looking for jobs, happy hunting, and for those looking for employees, happy searching,” he said.
The expo gave Carroll College students Lachlan Bevan and Josh Dove optimism for the future.
“It was great; very interesting,” Lachlan said.
“Even in a small town, the opportunities are unbelievable.”
For Broulee’s Mark Cannon, 38, the opportunity he needed wasn’t there.
“I’m in the environmental science field and I’m unemployed at the moment,” he said.
“I didn’t find anything I couldn’t find on the ‘net. A lot of the exhibitors were government agencies because there’s employment in unemployment. I think it was a bit of a love-in fest.”
Batemans Bay Wesley Uniting Employment job placement officer Sam King thought the day was “awesome”.
“We have had 30 inquires from people attending and I have filled two A4 pages with inquiries from people who aren’t clients of employment providers,” she said.