A FREE festival designed to inspire people in the North West to make the connection from Education to Employability (E2E), will be held at Ebrington Square, Derry/Londonderry later this month.
The E2E festival, the first of its kind for the region, is a partnership delivery by North West Regional College with Derry City and Strabane District Council.
Taking place on May 26, E2E is set to be a landmark day for the learning and career aspirations of local people.
The event will feature a number of interactive showcases and exhibitions from a range of leading learning and industry organisations who will be exhibiting within three large marquees, each having a separate theme – Showcase, Interaction, and Employability.
Exhibitors will include Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Invest NI, Barclays Life Skills, Zenith Insurance, Tesco, and many organisations will be offering job opportunities on the day.
One such organisation is Errigal Contracts who will be offering 16 full-time apprenticeships positions in the area of interior design systems.
Staff from the Western Trust will also be taking part, showcasing the wide range of careers and job opportunities available locally in the health and social care sector.
Live music and entertainmentwill take place all afternoon, there will be culinary demonstrations, and dozens of fun and informative activities.
W5 will be on site with a Minecraft demonstration, the local fire service will carry out an emergency demonstration and Ulster University will be exhibiting their interactive robot.
Speaking at the launch, Karen Moore, Head of Student Services at North West Regional College said: “E2E is new and innovative, and has been designed to enthuse and inspire local people to make the transition from learning into employment. Nowadays, employment trends evolve constantly and we are confident this event will not only showcase real job opportunities but will also be a celebration of the skills and talents that currently exist within the education and employment sectors.”
Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Alderman Hilary McClintock added: “As event partner Derry City and Strabane District Council are delighted to support this unique festival which will be of huge benefit for the local community and the region. Following on from council’s recent bid to become European Youth Capital, a key priority for us has been to showcase the North West as one of the most progressive places for young people to live, learn and work.”