Employment fair aimed at Deaf job seekers comes to Birmingham

A Black Country hospital Trust will be recruiting at an event which is aimed at job seekers who are deaf or have other disabilities.

Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, will be at the jobs fair, called Employable, held at Birmingham’s Council House in Victoria Square, on September 14.

The Trust, which runs Sandwell, City, and Rowley Regis Hospitals, as well as providing community services in Sandwell, will be on hand to tell potential employees about the organisation and the award-winning staff benefits scheme it offers.

Figures from Action on Hearing Loss show that three out of four people with hearing loss feel their employment opportunities are more limited than those of their hearing peers, with almost 80 per cent naming employers as the major barrier. The event aims widen opportunities for those facing those barriers.

Raffaela Goodby, executive director of people and organisation development at SWBH, said: “We are delighted to be showcasing the vacancies we have at our Trust, and to be supporting more disabled staff in to our workplace. We are an inclusive employer who take each person and their ambition really seriously, and we hope to expand our SWBH Family at this exciting event.”

There will be up to 1,400 job seekers at the event, and 50 different organisations showcasing what they have to offer.

cSeeker has organised the event. Chief Executive Alex Orlov said: “We’re excited to be involved. We know that Deaf people find it disproportionately harder to find work, and we wanted to do something locally.

“We’re looking forward to the day and talking to people there, and it’s a great chance for anyone looking for any kind of work, temporary or permanent, now or in the future, to chat to wide range of different employers.”

The disability fair, comes just weeks after a team of recruiters (pictured above) visited the RCNi Jobs Fair in Liverpool, where they successfully handed out conditional job offers to nurses.

• The event will take place at the Banqueting Suite at the council, on September 14 between 11am and 2pm. There is no need for job hunters to register in advance for this event – just turn up on the day. It is free to attend.