2024 Graduate & Young Professional Fair successful in showcasing new career opportunities to over three hundred young people

Locate Isle of Man, part of the Department for Enterprise, recently hosted 55 exhibiting businesses and more than 300 young people at the fourth Graduate & Young Professional Fair, which took place at the Comis Golf Club on 27 March.

Aimed at graduates and young professionals considering relocating or returning to the Isle of Man, as well as those based locally, this year’s event also welcomed students from University College Isle of Man, along with a number of sixth formers from five of the Island’s secondary schools.

Feedback from participating businesses has been positive, many stating they had been impressed with the calibre of attendees and interest shown, as well as the age range of the attendees they spoke with on the day.

Ann Corlett MHK, Political Member for Locate Isle of Man, commented:

‘The event is part of the Island’s continued commitment to ensuring young people are aware of the varied career and employment opportunities available and it was fantastic to observe so many young people engaging with the exhibiting businesses and guest speakers on the day.

‘Attracting and retaining young people and helping businesses to fill available roles, is fundamental to the long-term sustainability of our economy, a strategic ambition of the Island Plan and it’s encouraging to see that initial feedback from attendees, exhibitors and sponsors has been positive.’

Many businesses reported a high level of engagement and positive conversations with attendees, many of whom came well-prepared with their CVs and showed genuine interest in the opportunities available.

Karen Mercer, Head of HR for Zurich in the Isle of Man, headline sponsor for this year’s event, added:

‘As the Awards for Excellence’s Employer of the Year 2022, we were delighted to work alongside Locate Isle of Man, as headline sponsor for this year’s Isle of Man Graduate & Young Professional Fair.

‘The event gave us the opportunity to raise awareness of our values as an employer, and have quality conversations with attendees, and we were able to discuss our excellent employee benefits and 2024 Summer Internship Programme. Team members were also on hand to share career progression opportunities, through an interactive panel session in the Speaker Zone.’

Locate Isle of Man has now progressed the post event survey and review phase to understand the full impact of the event, with further insights to follow in the coming months.