OREANDA-NEWS. Thousands of local 16-24 year olds had the opportunity to learn and network from the over 50 airport based business, local training providers and voluntary groups taking part in the annual Heathrow Careers Fair this week. The full-day, free to attend event was open to all schools and college groups in the five surrounding boroughs to the airport in the morning and then to all local young job seekers in the afternoon.

Sundeep Sangha, Heathrow’s Head of Economic Development said: “The popularity of Heathrow Career’s Fair has grown exponentially since its inception – to the point that we believe it has now become the UK’s largest single day careers fair. This event is a fantastic opportunity to link brilliant local young candidates to long-term careers at the airport, and demonstrate the value of giving back and investing in local communities by volunteering. The Heathrow Careers Fair is testament to the huge importance of our airport to local communities, and speaks to the opportunity we stand to gain should Heathrow expand.”

As one of the largest single-site employers in the UK, Heathrow has a unique role to play in the economic development of the region, as well as all of the UK. Over 76,500 people are directly employed at over 400 companies in Heathrow alone. A total of 114,000 jobs are supported in the local area by the operation of Heathrow Airport – representing 1 in 5 jobs (22%) in the local area.

Nevertheless, youth unemployment remains an issue, as it currently accounts for around a third of all unemployment in the area around Heathrow. Should Heathrow airport be allowed to expand, the number and range of jobs created would have the potential to end youth unemployment in the five local boroughs entirely, and would double the number of apprenticeships across the airport to 10,000.