RDS hosts Opportunities 2003 recruitment drive

MORE than 10,000 jobs are up for grabs at Opportunities 2003 which continues todayat the RDS in Dublin.

Well over 100,000 people are expected to attend the four-day jobs showcase organised by FÁS that opened last Friday.

Thousands of CVs have already been collected by 40 companies from at home and overseas who are actively recruiting staff at the event .

Great interest has also been shown in over 30 apprenticeships and training schemes all provided by FÁS.

All national universities, institutes of technology and private colleges are also represented at the exhibition.

A spokesperson for Apple Computers yesterday described the quality of the visitors as “exceptional.”

Apple are seeking people with at least one European language. During the showcase they met lots of people with three and even four languages that they will be following up.

The Defence Forces, with up to 600 vacancies, are undertaking a massive recruitment drive at the exhibition.

Capt Fred O’Donovan said he was confident that all their vacancies, including the 70 cadet-ships for the army, air corps, naval and equitation services, would be filled based on the success of last year’s showcase and the response on the first two days.

Yesterday, the Defence Forces targeted graduates and undergraduates for specialist vacancies such as medicine and engineering.

Sligo-based Abbott Ireland reported considerable interest in the positions they currently have available ranging form project engineers to planners and human resources professionals.

The FÁS Training Centre in Cork is sharing their stand on electrical apprenticeship with the Chamber of Crafts from Cologne to highlight the close training co-operation between the two partner cities.

A spokesperson for FÁS said there was also a lot of interest shown in the job opportunities available in the civil service, especially by those returning to the workforce.

She also pointed out that a lot of companies, including Kerry Foods, were offering job opportunities with graduate sponsorship programmes.

“Most of the people who visit are not just here to have a look around. They are very focused on their reason for coming. They know exactly where to go and have copies of their CVs to give to their prospective employers.”

And, she said, the huge range of jobs, from healthcare to banking, to movie making ensured that people from all walks of life are catered for.