Cocktails and careers: Recruitment festival to showcase hundreds of jobs in City Region's booming visitor economy

A jobs festival with a party atmosphere is to showcase hundreds of vacancies in Liverpool City Region's booming visitor economy.

The major event at Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena will host interactive skills sessions, including:- masterclasses by cocktail makers, making non-alcoholic mocktails, and baristas, in a push to recruit staff for the City Region's thriving Hospitality and leisure sector.

Hundreds of jobseekers are expected to attend the:- 'Skills and Recruitment Festival' which again sees the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority join forces with the DWP, Liverpool City Council and Growth Platform to showcase current vacancies and long-term careers, some attracting salaries of more than £30,000 a year.

More than 500 vacancies will be available, and jobseekers will be offered the chance to try out relevant skills alongside informal:- "speed dating" chats with employers.

The interactive show is the latest in a series of high profile jobs fairs aimed at filling vacancies in a sector which is worth £5bn each year to the local economy.

It looks to build on the success of recruitment drives for Eurovision, Aintree and The Open; with the world famous events attracting hundreds of thousands of extra visitors to the City Region. Publicity surrounding Eurovision is predicted to increase visitor numbers by 5% over the next few years.

Jobseekers do not need to register for the event and some job offers will made on the day.

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Executive Director, Policy Strategy and Government Relations, Kirsty McLean said:- "The Liverpool City Region visitor economy has continued to grow in the wake of Eurovision and targeted recruitment fairs have been both popular and very successful. This latest event is a jobs fair with a difference which aims to build on that momentum by giving people a real feel for some of the roles available but also showing that Hospitality and leisure can be a stable, rewarding and long-term career."

The fair is open to the public and takes place at the M&S Bank Arena, on:- Tuesday, 29 August 2023, with 2 sessions being held from 10am to 1pm and 1pm to 4pm, offering roles from entry level positions to team leaders.

Employers will include The ACC Liverpool Group, John Lewis and Liverpool One.

Interactive stands will showcase live demonstrations on the main Arena floor with training providers offering the chance to book onto skills courses.

The recruitment drive follows a £4.5m, 2 year strategy unveiled by Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram last year to help the City Region's Hospitality and tourism industry return to full health after it was devastated by the Pandemic.

New figures published last week showed the City Region's visitor economy was worth more in 2022 than before the Pandemic in 2019. That's before the economic boost of this year's major events including Eurovision are taken into account.

In October 2022, Be More; a new, all in one training and careers portal, complete with an AI-powered app; was launched to connect residents with employment and opportunities.

Janet Nuzum, Visitor Economy Sector Manager at Growth Platform; Liverpool City Region Growth Company, said:- "As we have already seen from the amazing success of previous recruitment fairs there is a huge appetite for people looking for roles in the Hospitality and wider tourism sector. These fairs are an invaluable way for us to highlight the significant role that Hospitality plays in making sure all our visitors have an exceptional time when they come here. And with the latest figures showing that the sector is worth over £5bn to the City Region there really is no better time to be a part of such an important and exciting industry."

Linda Usher Senior Operations Leader for the DWP, added:- "This has been a fantastic collaboration to secure hundreds of opportunities towards sustainable work for people across the City Region. I want to encourage those looking for work to attend and have the opportunity to speak to prospective employers face to face. It's crucial that people of all ages and backgrounds have the chance to progress and we want people to know we are there to support them into work."

Lynsey Watson, Director of People at The ACC Liverpool Group:- "We are really focused on contributing to and encouraging a re-positioning of the events industry as an attractive career, to overcome recruitment challenges and skill gaps. The best approach to reinforce this is by working together with key organisations across the Region. There are a multitude of job roles across this incredible industry and we are pleased to be able to provide a venue where job seekers and recruiters can explore these opportunities to meet demand across the wider visitor economy."

Health Minister visits New Hospital Programme schemes across the North West to mark progress

THIS week Health Minister Lord Markham visited 3 Hospitals across the North West as part of a summer tour to discuss the Government's plans to build 40 new Hospitals by 2030 with staff, patients and local leaders.

He saw 1st hand how the new Leighton Hospital will implement clinical, digital, and environmental innovations to enable the trust to tackle inequalities and meet the needs of a growing and ageing population. Patients and staff will benefit from safe, state of the art new facilities and improved care as Leighton Hospital is part of the Government's commitment to rebuild 6 Hospitals in the region.

Patients and staff at Royal Preston Hospital will benefit from modern Hospital designs, making use of the latest technology, digital innovation and sustainability to improve overall patient experience and provide a better working environment for staff. Lord Markham visited the site of the new Royal Preston Hospital, alongside that of the new Royal Lancaster Infirmary, which is in the early stages of development. The Government has provided over £11 million in funding to support the trusts in the progress of both Hospitals to help find suitable locations that will meet the needs of staff and patients in Lancashire and South Cumbria.

Finally, Lord Markham visited the new North Manchester Hospital site which will include:- a new acute Hospital, mental health Hospital and multi-storey car park as well as affordable homes and accommodation for Hospital staff. Work has now completed on the new 980 space multi-storey car park and cycle hub in the project's 1st major construction milestone.

In total, 5 new Hospitals will be built in the North West by 2030, including North Manchester General Hospital and Leighton Hospital. The Northern Centre for Cancer Care and the Royal Liverpool Hospital are already open to patients and the Greater Manchester Major Trauma Centre is due to open later this year. The Government recently confirmed for the 1st time that the New Hospital Programme is expected to be backed by over £20 billion of investment in infrastructure.

Health Minister Lord Markham said:- "We are investing in new NHS facilities across the country so patients can access high quality care in state of the art Hospitals, both now and in the years to come. The North West will benefit from six new Hospitals and this week I've been visiting some of the sites and speaking to patient, staff and local leaders across the region about the plans and progress. These will help to improve care and allow patients to be seen more quickly, which will help to cut waiting lists; 1 of the Government's top five priorities. In the long term, our new standardised design means we can rapidly replicate new Hospitals across the country, helping to speed up construction and deliver on our commitment of 40 new Hospitals by 2030."

The Government has prioritised the rebuilding of some Hospitals given the risks buildings have posed to patients and staff - the full extent of which has come to light since the programme was 1st announced in 2019. Therefore, the Lancashire and South Cumbria scheme will complete past 2030, though it will still be in construction by then. The Government will keep the situation under review and do everything it can to accelerate the completion timeline of the Hospitals impacted, if circumstances allow. The New Hospital Programme will continue to work closely with new and existing schemes on their plans to ensure they deliver for patients, staff and communities. With the addition of new schemes as well as wider capital investment the Government is still on track to deliver 40 new Hospitals by 2030.

Across the region, staff shared their experiences and discussed how the new Hospitals will support the transformation of healthcare in the North West by improving the patient experience with new, high quality environments as well as improving clinical outcomes with modern, fit for purpose theatres, wards, and diagnostic facilities to help cut waiting lists.

Making use of the latest technology, the new Hospitals will have digital solutions included at the design stage which will help to reduce staff workloads and support working from any location, whilst improving the patient experience. The Hospitals will also have 'smart buildings,' which will collect and process data to optimise energy usage and contribute to the NHS's sustainability goals.

By developing a national approach to delivering new Hospitals, known as Hospital 2.0, they can be built more quickly and at a reduced cost, providing value for taxpayers. Patients and staff will benefit from a modern Hospital design making use of the latest technology, digital innovation and sustainability to improve overall patient experience and provide a better working environment for staff. This will also put the NHS on a sustainable footing for the future.

Services will also benefit from the 1st ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, which will deliver the biggest training expansion in NHS history and recruit and retain hundreds of thousands more staff over the next 15 years. This will be supported by over £2.4 billion in Government funding.