THE inaugural Swindon JobFest took place at the Steam museum yesterday with more than 40 employers hunting for new talent.

The brainchild of Swindon Council and Swindon Skills and Employment Partnership, the convention ran for five hours and acted as a magnet drawing 16- to 24-year-olds and companies together.

In an effort to have a one-stop shop for those leaving learning and currently unemployed in the aforementioned age bracket, the council spent six months building what will become an annual event.

Paddy Bradley, head of economy and skills at Swindon Borough Council, said: "What's great is you have the parents here too.

"There are young people going around, and with their parents there too, they can go home and discuss these opportunities.

"We have thought about various things. Unifest, which was trying to give young people more knowledge about higher education, and we wanted to use that branding.

"How can we collectively get more people aware about these things? We can't rely on people picking things up ad hoc."

Aside from the numerous stalls set up by firms from Aldi to Zurich, there were two schedules running workshops and seminars throughout the day for job hunters.

Steven Green, a reception team member with Premier Inn, said: "It's a way for us to give young people opportunities, information and even a chance to get work experience and gain a reference too.

"It's been extremely busy, one of the busiest we have been to in a while.

"The majority have been looking for full-time work.

"We are coming to the end of the school year and students are looking for a job they can go into."