High school pupils showcased their skills at a careers fair.

The second Student Employment Fair was designed to let pupils from the Berkeley Institute and CedarBridge Academy highlight their skills to potential employers.

Jaire Lawrence-Salaam, the head boy at CedarBridge, said that his main goal for the day was to establish himself in civil engineering.

The 17-year-old added: “I thought that the fair would show me if there was anyone I could talk to to help me pursue my career.”

Jaire, from Hamilton Parish, said that he gained hands-on experience through a weekly civil engineering course at his school.

He added: “We went straight into where the engineering happens, so we saw the new designs of the two bridges on the eastern side of the island.

“We will be travelling to the airport and Morgan’s Point at the end of this month to see where the developments there are happening.”

Jaire said that the course had developed his love of construction and he had used his skills to build a greenhouse at CedarBridge.

Jaire added: “At first I wanted to go into IT, but a few years ago I took the course and switched over to civil engineering.”

The final-year pupils set up booths in a hall at the Berkeley Institute that detailed their skills, background and eligibility for the sectors they were interested in for potential employers.

Reihonna Lema, 17, said that she aimed to prove her skills in marketing and advertising by creating an eye-catching booth.

The Berkeley student said: “The trick to marketing is to always go big or go home.

“Instead of writing on the board like everyone else did, I thought I’d have business cards out, a video playing and a little folder with my résumé, personal statement, references and a copy of my grades, just to show how I can market myself.”

Reihonna, from Devonshire, said that she learnt a lot of skills from a three-year stint as a sales assistant at Sports R Us in Hamilton.

She added that her exposure to international business, accounting and insurance through school classes gave her a diverse background in the field.

Reihonna said that she hoped the fair would give her a chance at an internship.

She added: “It would be nice to broaden my horizons further. If an opportunity presents itself that’d be great.

“If it doesn’t, then that’s unfortunate, but I still have somewhere to learn.”

Tyree Phillips, 17, from Pembroke, said his outgoing personality made him well-suited for a career in the hospitality industry.

The Berkeley pupil added: “My goal is to always make people happy and put smiles across their faces.

“If you smile, it means you’re happy, so my goal is to make everybody smile.”

Tyree said that he came from a family with a background in hospitality and hoped to continue the tradition with a job at a hotel.

He added that his experience at the employment fair had helped make his goal more achievable.

Tryee explained: “People have said ‘we would love to have you’ and ‘we love your personality and your attitude’, so that’s really given me a boost in my self confidence.”

Tammisha Francis-Wainwright, the organiser of the event, said that she hoped that the fair would have the same level of success in the future.

She added: “At the moment there have been a few students who have been invited for a second interview, so I can tell that there are definitely opportunities for our young people here.”