DOZENS of Cumbrian businesses joined forces at a two-day careers fair attended by more than 1,000 people.

Hundreds of jobseekers passed through doors of Kendal's Westmorland Shopping Centre on Wednesday and Thursday to network with companies from across Cumbria ranging from the engineering and hospitality sectors to universities and business groups.

Organised in collaboration between Cumbria Tourism, the Federation of Small Businesses, Inspira, Jobcentre Plus, Kendal College and LOCALiQ, the job fair sought to provide opportunities for businesses and jobseekers alike to find one another.

Adele Mundy, from Kendal College, said: “We are going around today chatting with stalls and filming clips of them introducing themselves.

“Not everyone can make both days of the fair so it’s better for them to see a real person when they’re looking for a job. This will all be uploaded as a montage on Your Bright Future.”

Rachel Tyson, head of marketing and sales for Cumbria Tourism, said: “The student age group is one of particular interest and we want to communicate to them that there are a lot of potential roles for them here. Not just the ones you would normally associate with tourism.

“At the moment a very high percentage of businesses are struggling to meet their recruitment needs so we hope this fair can help remedy that.”

Groups represented included The Inn Collection Group, Home Instead South Lakes, Bangor University, Land and Sea Resources, Westmorland Homecare, Sedbergh School, The Holker Group, Lake District Hotels, Simon Rogan, Individual Inns, Langdale, and The Castle Green Hotel.

Castle Green manager Robert Glashan said: “It’s good to see so many businesses represented here today.

“It’s a great chance for us all to find the people we need and network with other businesses.

“We have a lot of roles to fill from room attendees, food and drink assistance, porters, and roles in the higher level of administration.

“We offer a chance for students to get their foot in the door at the workplace and earn while they learn.”

Simon Rogan’s head of HR Marcin Maryniak was joined by operations manager Nicolas Perdrier.

Both were enthusiastic to use the fair as an opportunity to network with potential recruits and other groups.

They said: “This is a great chance to network and continue with those good relationships we have with a lot of groups here.

“It’s a great chance to find the people we need, especially as a company in the hospitality industry.”

The Holker Group were keen to find recruits for the coming summer which is expected to be a busy period for the hospitality industry.

Claire Greenhalgh said: “We’ve got some treats on display with us here from our café.

“We want people to know what we’re all about.

“We are looking for both casual and full-time workers, particularly in the run-up to summer.

“We welcome students to come and talk to us.”