AN employment and skills event at Melksham Library has been hailed a success after 50 people attended and could now be repeated at other places in Wiltshire.

Wiltshire Council staged the one-day event for residents looking for local employment or apprentice opportunities and those seeking career or skills advice.

The event included displays by local employers such as Knorr-Bremse and the age range of those that attended was from 17 to 67.

Rachael Johnson, Employment and Skills Officer, said: “This is the first time we have offered an Employment and Skills Roadshow. “We reached out to various community organisations, training providers and employers local to the Melksham area to cater for a variety of audiences. “The range of attendees is a clear indication of the success and appetite for this type of event and we are planning to deliver similar roadshows across the county at regular intervals throughout the year.”

Helen Walsh, of Knorr-Bremse, said: “We’ve been chatting to people about some of the vacancies that we have available.We have about half a dozen places in our engineering department and we have an apprenticeship scheme.”

Their human resources team provided valuable insights into their industry and the skills and behaviours many employers look for when recruiting.

Learning and support services such as Wiltshire Family and Community Learning and Wiltshire College and University Centre were also represented.

Matthew Pearce, 22, from Bowerhill, popped by to explore career options, having spent a year working in New Zealand.

“I’m just looking to see if there’s anything that catches my eye before deciding whether to go off to Australia. There’s nothing set in stone yet.”

They were on hand to advice on jobs or career changes and how to access the right support and training.

Employers will also share advice on how to produce a high-quality job application and the various recruitment processes.

Unemployed Lisa Sherman, 44, visited to ask the team for advice about her career options and to request support for her dyslexia. “The advice has been very useful,” she said. “I’ve worked in electronics, so I need to get all my certificates together to get back into work.”