A JOBS fair will be held in the Towy Valley later this month.

Carmarthenshire Jobcentre Plus will host a job fair at the Youth and Community Centre in Llandovery between 11am and 4pm on Thursday, August 31, which will allow jobseekers to meet with potential employers from the retail, construction and manufacturing sectors.

It is just one of the ways the Jobcentre Plus is unlocking the skills and abilities of jobseekers to help them get back into or into work for the first time, no matter the age or ability of the individual.

There are Jobcentre Plus centres in Ammanford, Carmarthen and Llanelli, and all work with individuals to provide specialist support through work coaches.

The Jobcentre teams also support businesses in finding new employees, including Oxfam in Carmarthen which is looking to fill a full-time shop manager position. Wetherspoon’s has been looking for part time kitchen staff, and Toby Carvery is looking for part time waiting staff.

A recruitment open day was held at Parc y Scarlets on Thursday, August 17, where jobseekers aged 16 and over could speak to and meet recruitment teams for hospitality, kitchen porter, turnstile operator and car park attendant positions at the rugby ground.

Carmarthen Jobcentre hosted Prospero Teaching on Wednesday, July 19, where they registered jobseekers for potential roles in local education. They interviewed six jobseekers, and all six were registered to the agency. There will be another day held by Prospero Teaching in September.

The Carmarthen Employer and Partnership Team also helped the Co-op recruit part time customer team members for the petrol forecourt and part time staff for the bakery section of the store.

A meeting was also held at Coleg Sir Gar by Llanelli Jobcentre Youth Team work coaches, young jobseekers and the Llanelli Employer and Partnership Team, where they spoke to staff at the college about apprenticeship opportunities and had a tour around the facilities. It is hoped this would become a regular feature within the Jobcentre’s youth hub.

B&M is moving from Pemberton to Trostre Retail Park in Llanelli and will open in mid-September. This will open up 30 vacancies and the company is hosting a group information session at Llanelli JCP on Wednesday, August 23, and suitable jobseekers will be able o sign up for an interview at the jobcentre on Thursday, August 24 after attending the session.

The total number of benefits claims in Carmarthenshire has decreased by three per cent compared to this time last year, and jobseekers can find many more vacancies at the Department for Work and Pensions’ FindaJob website.

Carmarthenshire’s Jobcentre Plus work coaches will work with jobseekers to ensure they have all the help needed and access to a range of opportunities, whether just leaving education, aged 50 or above, have a health condition, or have just been out of work for a while or made redundant.