The annual event, at Plymouth Albion’s Brickfields ground, in Devonport, brought together a record number of employers, training providers and business support organisations.

Set up by a partnership which included Working Links, Jobcentre Plus, Plymouth City Council and Outset Plymouth, the event was designed to help Plymouth’s 6,776 claimants find work.

The April figure, announced on Tuesday, was 170 down on March’s total, but jobs fair organisers said it was still imperative to help people find work, particularly in the 18-24-year-old and over-50s age brackets.

Experts said a lack of workplace experience and a dearth of computer skills were among barriers affecting these age groups, respectively.

Louisa Wansell, aged 22, has been on a voluntary Work Experience programme with Jobcentre Plus, in a bid to gain experience, and said: “It’s hard. People don’t want young people without experience.”

Job hunter Jason Andrews, aged 32, also on a Work Experience scheme, said: “It’s very difficult getting a job, but Work Experience has been fantastic.”

Kelly Crane, of Working Links, said: “We have some great youngsters, but they haven’t got experience. We build their confidence and self esteem.”

Donna Lawson, of Enterprise Coaching, said help was available for over-50s who “have not got the skills to move forward and change careers”.

Jacki Williams, of Jobcentre Plus, said that while some age groups were targeted, the event was “about everybody being able to find what’s available”.

The fair was spread throughout four themed marquees featuring 90 organisations.

One contained training providers such as the Prince’s Trust, North Prospect Community Learning, UCP Marjon and Plymouth College of Art.

Another had employers including the Royal Navy, Sunshine Care and Plymouth Guild, while in another there were organisations such as Outset Plymouth, Enterprise Coaching and Millfields Trust giving advice to those considering self-employment.

A fourth was taken by the newly rebranded National Careers Service, where Mark Beresford, of Careers South West, said job hunters had to target sectors where there were vacancies.

“There are a lot of catering, hospitality and care work jobs in Plymouth,” he said.

Outset Plymouth’s Kevin Kelway said the jobs fair was the biggest ever, and added: “More people are looking for jobs. These events are crucial.”

The Online Public Speaking Academy (TOPSA) is the brainchild of Tina Sibley, from Plymouth. Her eight-week programme aims to take public speakers from “truly terrified to calmly confident”.

Ms Sibley has previously worked as a business trainer, teaching such topics as leadership and team building, and is an experienced public speaker.

She has won contests run by the famous Toastmasters International Speaking Club, and has been president of Armada Speakers, the Toastmasters’ Plymouth branch, and a regular speaker at city business events.

She ran public speaking workshops, coaching and mentoring for Plymouth business folk, but found there is not enough of a pool in the city to sustain a business.

So Ms Sibley has widened her target market by going online – and she has been “staggered” by the interest.

“I can do teaching over Skype,” she said. “People send me their videos and I critique them. And there is an app people can download free, which has been downloaded by 17,000 people in the past year.

“About half of them are in the USA, the next biggest was India, then Singapore and Malaysia. The UK was about five per cent. That told me I had to be online.”

Ms Sibley closed her former business, Discovery Business Academy, and began again with TOPSA, after receiving help from start-up support organisation Outset Plymouth.

She said TOPSA is for “people that need public speaking for their job or business”.

She added: “I help them develop skills to speak confidently about their careers or to attract clients.

“If they have their own business it’s essential.

“It’s exciting,” she added. “I’m using online to deliver webinars and internet-based coaching.”

CITY businesses will be able to learn how to use the media to help them grow at a special event at the Plymouth Guildhall on the 31st May.

The ‘Plymouth Media Day’ will feature four workshops targeting the main media hubs of radio, TV, print press, and social media.

It will include “interactive exercises” designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises focus on their business and identify who their customers are. It is intended for this to help bosses work out how they can use the media effectively. The event is organised by start-up support organisation Outset Plymouth.

Outset’s marketing executive Kevin Kelway said it was about “getting local businesses to the right media”.

“Plymouth Media Day in a special showcase to help city businesses identify growth prospects using the power of the local media,” he said.

“The special workshops will include radio, social media, broadcasting and print, informing new and existing city businesses of the power of news, PR, and marketing in how to promote in today’s competitive media industry.”

Speakers include; Alan Qualtrough former editor of the WMN, William Telford, business editor of the Herald, Chris Savery, Radio Plymouth and Neil Jeffery of Outset Plymouth.

The Media Day is at the Plymouth Guildhall, on Thursday, May 31, from 9.30am to 4.30pm.

The event will double with Outset’s regular Wednesday Club. This is held every month, but usually, as the name suggests, on a Wednesday.

The Club always highlights new businesses which have launched with the support of Outset Plymouth and its sister organisation Outset Finance. This month, four new businesses will launch and there will be networking opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Outset Plymouth is a £1million programme funded by Plymouth City Council and the European Regional Development Fund to help and support people across the city look at self-employment opportunities.

To register for the free Plymouth Media Hub Day visit www.outsetplymouth.co.uk/events

Four marquee tents will house more than 80 city employers, education and training providers and enterprise organisations, at Plymouth Albion’s Brickfields ground, in Devonport.

The annual Plymouth Jobs, Skills and Enterprise Fair is this year on Thursday, May 17, from 10am to 3pm.

In each of the past two years about 2,500 people have attended the fair.

And with Government figures revealing there were 6,943 people claiming benefit in Plymouth, in March, the event is again expected to be well attended.

The fair is being organised by Jobcentre Plus and other city stakeholders including Plymouth City Council, Working Links, Outset Plymouth.

Employers due to exhibit include Tesco Express, Butlins, Barratt Homes, Babcock, Orange, Plymouth Community Homes, Plymouth City Council, Utility Warehouse, Outset Plymouth, Outset Finance, Working Links, and Plymouth University.

Kevin Kelway, marketing executive at start-up support organisation Outset Plymouth, said: “Anyone looking to become self-employed will have a variety of organisations on hand to offer advice, support in setting up your own business.

“But there will also be help with CVs, interview techniques, live job vacancies, one-to-one support and much else.”

Christine Blackaller, programme director at Outset Plymouth, said: “This is now a key annual event for individuals of all ages to find out about self-employment, and other training, educational and other employment opportunities.

“The fair offers Outset the opportunity to give people the information they need to take the first steps to starting a business.”

Millbay-based Outset Plymouth, and its sister organisation Outset Finance, is a £1.2million programmes, funded by Plymouth City Council and the European Regional Development Fund to help support people looking to go into self-employment.

Entrance to next week’s Brickfields jobs fair is via Madden Road or through the main car park at the rugby ground.

For information, contact gary.west@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk or ring 01752 614817.

Michelle Austin launched Assert South West from the Formation Zone at Plymouth University after the Government scrapped the Aimhigher support programme for students, last year, and she decided to take voluntary redundancy.

Mrs Austin had been based at UCP Marjon, but also worked with Plymouth and Exeter universities, Plymouth College of Art and other higher education establishments.

She has used that extensive experience in her new business which helps students and graduates find work.

Already in partnership with Jobcentre Plus, Mrs Austin offers support in CV writing, form filling and getting students “job ready”.

“I’m trying to match skills with jobs,” she said. “In this climate you have to be clever, and seek out opportunities.”

Since launching Assert just over two months ago, Mrs Austin has already trained and deployed higher education students to work as mentors with Year 12 students in a secondary school.

She has also been successful in a bid to run three taster sessions in partnership with UCP Marjon, as part of the Plymouth Summer Mix programme.

Mrs Austin has also been working with Plymouth firm FTR Mobile Support Services, which supplies specially designed mobile phones to disabled and elderly people, providing students to demonstrate and promote the equipment.

She has also matched Plymouth University media lab arts students with a craft business to assist in developing social media and on-line marketing tools.

And she added: “I’m also delivering an employment skills presentation to graduating students at the Plymouth College of Art, to assist them in their transition from learning to earning.”

It means that the business has already helped about 20 students benefit from “paid, credible work opportunities.”

“A win-win indeed,” said Mrs Austin, who formed her business with the help of start-up support organisations Outset Plymouth and Outset Finance.

“They have been brilliant,” she said.

A FORMER trade union rep has set up a business which will pitch him into the middle of workplace disputes – and aiming to resolve them.

Colin Howe, from Hartley, has formed Select Mediation after leaving his job as an internal mediator at Working Links last year.

As a workplace mediator, Mr Howe will now resolve conflicts before they lead to costly tribunals.

“It could be between employers and employees or between two employees,” he said. “The Government is pushing mediation and have just changed regulations with employment tribunals.

“I’m trying to get in on the act early, nipping disputes and conflicts in the bud before it leads to a grievance and a tribunal and more cost for the employer or individual.”

Mr Howe was employed for 21 years in the Welfare to Work sector, for the Jobcentre and, for 11 of those years, at Working Links.

He was also a union rep and said this is “where I found my passion for helping people to resolve their issues”.

In 2007 he completed an ACAS workplace mediation course and worked as a mediator for Working Links.

But he left the organisation at the end of last year and set up his own business with the help of start-up support organisation Outset Plymouth.

“They have been a godsend,” Mr Howe said. “They provided me with information and someone to call on when I have a query.”

He also received a micro-grant from Outset Plymouth’s sister organisation Outset Finance, and he has been in touch with an employment law solicitor in Plymouth.

“I’m going to be doing mediation externally for Working Links too,” he said. “I’m also in contact with an accounting firm and have initiated discussions with the GMB.”

Bev Hurley is chief executive of Millbay-based Outset Plymouth and its parent organisations YTKO. Last week she was a panellist at a public debate on entrepreneurship, held at the Guildhall. She has been invited onto the Entrepreneurs’ Forum, set up last year to provide Mr Cable with informal and personal advice on new business and enterprise policies.

On the 20-strong forum are Business and Enterprise Minister Mark Prisk, entrepreneur and TV personality James Caan and top business leaders and company bosses.

Mrs Hurley, said she would now be able to take some of the points raised at the Plymouth debate straight to ministers.

“It’s an opportunity to promote the city and the good things we are doing here,” she said.