09.11.06
CUC Graduate Careers Fair – 'A Soaring Success'

Attendance at Cornwall's first ever graduate careers fair surpassed all expectations. Over 750 students and graduates gathered at the Tremough campus in Penryn yesterday for the Combined Universities in Cornwall Graduate Careers Fair.

Jon Christie, Senior Careers Adviser at the Tremough campus was delighted with the event: "Being the first fair of its kind, we just didn't know whether we would get a respectable turnout. At the event we had students and graduates queuing up to get in by the time the doors opened at 11 o'clock. One of the really exciting things I picked up from talking to people on the day was the enthusiasm many of attendees had for working in Cornwall, or for starting up their own companies here."

The fair's 49 exhibitors were a mixture of household names such as the BBC and Ginsters, rubbing shoulders with specialist local businesses like Cubert-based chartered patent attorneys NJ Akers & Co and Truro-based Elderworld, which provides products and services in the care sector. Julie Ribbons, National Resourcing Manager for the NHS, was typical in her enthusiasm for the event, commenting: "We have had some very interesting potential applicants for the scheme. This has been a good, fun event and we have been very well looked after."

University of Plymouth graduate, Graham Yard, from Perranporth found the event extremely useful, commenting, "As a graduate living in Cornwall, it was great to be able to attend an event like this without having to travel out of county. Unlike the larger national fairs, there were a lot of local companies with vacancies in Cornwall – not just the big firms offering work in London! I was surprised at the number of high-profile employers that attended, which reflects the value they place on the graduate market in Cornwall."

Nigel Hewitt, Acting CUC Coordinator said: "The fair was a soaring success and clearly emphasised the importance of the work Combined Universities in Cornwall has been able to do with the support of Objective One and the Government. This kind of event simply would not have been possible in Cornwall until very recently. Now we are producing students with the skills employers want, and we're helping those who want to stay in Cornwall to prosper here and to create wealth in the county."

The organisers are already discussing the possibility of making the CUC Careers Fair a regular fixture in Cornwall's academic calendar.

For further information please contact Emma Stallard, PR and Communications Officer at the Combined Universities in Cornwall on 01326 370446 or email emma.stallard@cuc.ac.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) project, both Phase 1 and Phase 2 through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF).

Editor's notes:

The Combined Universities in Cornwall is a dynamic and visionary partnership that is one of the driving forces behind Cornwall's economic renaissance. This partnership combines the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, University College Falmouth, The Open University, The College of St Mark & St John, and the Peninsula Medical School, with Cornwall's Further Education colleges - Cornwall College, Truro College and Penwith College. It aims not only to provide the students of the future with more choice and greater opportunities, but also to boost the economic fortunes of the region for the benefit of one and all.

The CUC initiative has been invested in by the Objective One Partnership for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, the South West Regional Development Agency, Cornwall County Council and the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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