Pauline King, Regional Employer Engagement Director for the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association, Yorkshire & the Humber, organised the event. She said: “Following the success of our inaugural Cadet Careers Fair in 2023, it was great to host a bigger and better event this year with over 55 employers exhibiting on the day, all of whom wanted to engage directly with uniformed cadets. Organisations of all sizes and from all sectors took the opportunity to chat with tri-service (army, sea and air) cadets about apprenticeships, career pathways, work experience and placements, as they recognise the benefits and work-ready life skills that cadets can bring to their business.”
DIRICKX Systems’ Regional Sales Director and a former Royal Engineer, Ben Jenkins was delighted to be invited to take part in the fair’s programme of interactive workshops, where he had the opportunity to share some of his stories, expertise and careers advice with members of the Sea Cadets, Army Cadet Force and Air Training Corps from the region.
Ben said: “It was great to speak to members of the Combined Cadet Forces during the event. I was really impressed by their enthusiasm, energy and ambition. It’s easy to forget how difficult it can be to make life-changing decisions at such a young age, and having served in the Royal Engineers for 20 years, I was able to pass on some of my experience, and advise the cadets on the transition from leaving school to a career in the military. Deciding on a career is a big step, so I hope that the Careers Fair helped these young cadets to make an informed choice about their future.”
