More than one thousand students including students (aged 16-19) from colleges and schools across the region1 had the opportunity to meet employers and entrepreneurs from the local business community, including national and international companies, last week (14 November 2024) at Hello Future 2024.
Delivered by West Sussex, Brighton and Hove Careers Hub and Brighton Chamber, and partnered with American Express and RWE-operated Rampion Offshore Wind Farm, with support from Shoreham Port, the event was held at the newly refurbished ‘Wing’ at the Brighton Centre.
Officially opened by the Mayor of Brighton & Hove, Cllr Mohammed Asaduzzaman, the Hello Future 2024 skills fair brought together businesses from a wide range of sectors including construction, financial services, hospitality, leisure, retail, public services and renewable energy2.
This year, West Sussex, Brighton and Hove Careers Hub asked Brighton Chamber to lead organising the event, to ensure that students had the opportunity to meet employers from the wide range of brilliant businesses in Sussex. Over thirty American Express colleagues supported logistics and smooth running throughout the day, helping to welcome students and guide them around the skills fair.
Students were able to visit the 44 stands and learn about the variety of jobs within companies, explore what career pathways they could take, and find out what skills they will need for different types of work and roles. Students engaged in conversations with industry experts, as well as higher education and careers advisors, about the world of work, with a focus on entry-level jobs, apprenticeships and graduate programmes.
The Rampion Wind Farm operations team set up model turbines connected to voltmeters, for students to experiment with different variables like wind speed, number of blades and pitch, to see how much electricity they can generate, as well as sharing information about the range of careers and apprenticeships open to them in the offshore wind industry and particularly in RWE.
Amex colleagues from areas including Travel and Lifestyle Services and Technology (including Graduate and Apprentice Alumni), showcased the breadth of careers within the organisation and variety of entry pathways. Amex Technology colleagues ran a fun interactive session, using building blocks to demonstrate key employability skills and give students a glimpse into how and why the business uses Agile/collaborative software development methodology.
Focusing on Further Education students studying for A levels and BTEC, as well as the employers’ stands the event included a curated programme of short talks and films.
There were talks from people at the start of their careers about their chosen career paths. Kaia Allen-Bevan, from Watch This Sp_ce, talked about the importance of diversity in the workplace, and Howie Cobby from Howies Coffee Company, shared his entrepreneurial journey. At the quiet session, Alice Reeves, from Joyfully Different, spoke about neurodivergence and work.
Penny Daly, Enterprise Coordinator, West Sussex, Brighton & Hove Careers Hub [pictured] said: “It is wonderful to see our region’s students engaging with the world of work through this inspiring, immersive and inclusive experience. Not only does it help raise aspirations, but it also highlights the wide range of opportunities available, empowering every young person to discover their best next step.
“A huge thanks to the Brighton Chamber and the businesses large and small that have come along today, and to our sponsors and the volunteers from American Express who helped make this event run smoothly.”
Arjan van der Meer, VP Technology, American Express [pictured] said: “As part of the Sussex business community, our colleagues valued the opportunity to engage and inspire young people about the world of work by hearing first-hand about a range of exciting careers and job opportunities that might be available to them in the future. We’re delighted to have played a part in such a rewarding and dynamic day.”
Rampion General Manager Dan Allen-Baines [pictured] said: “We are proud to be supporting this event, as we are committed to supporting the careers of young people locally. RWE supports a graduate scheme and we have trained ten apprentices, with eight of them already fully-trained technicians, some working full-time on the Rampion turbines as part of our 65-strong Newhaven operations team. We have also hosted 394 school visits to our Rampion Visitor Centre in Brighton, with the goal of inspiring future generations to work in the renewable energy sector.”
