SOUTH West polar explorer Antony Jinman is launching a series of online careers fairs to help young people affected by the pandemic.

The events are aimed at giving young people aged 15-25 across the region the chance to talk with employers and get vital careers advice at a critical time.

From 10am-3pm on Monday June 22 and Tuesday June 23 there’ll be the opportunity to talk directly with companies and help prepare them for work in a post-lockdown world.

?Liketobe.org? was founded by Antony Jinman as ?a digital solution for employers to connect with young people and potential future employees, and it has lined up a range of key businesses for the events.

Among those who’ve agreed to take part are Network Rail, GE, Stonegate Pub Company, Kidzania, the RNLI and global satellite communications company Inmarsat.

‘?Pandemic Proof - Protect Your Employability Post Pandemic?’ is on Monday and ‘?Women in Engineering - The World of Engineering Wants You?’ follows, at the same time, on Tuesday.

Antony is urging business leaders, and owners, to lend their support at a difficult time for young people in education and starting their careers.

He said: “This event is a great opportunity for companies to show their support for the student community in these challenging times.

’Unlike traditional career fairs, students will be able to access it for the next 12 months.’

The two events are part of the ongoing TIC Talk Channel series run by LikeToBe. There will be insightful career talks and presentations by employers and their ambassadors. Speakers will also be available online to answer questions and offer career guidance and advice via a number of forums.

The focus will be on how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected careers, in particular how the world of work in various sectors might change and how students can protect their employability.

Lynne Mason, apprenticeship manager for the RNLI said: ’The RNLI are delighted to be using LikeToBe as our platform to celebrate International Women in Engineering Day in 2020.

’For the past five years we have been inviting female students from local schools to the RNLI Support Centre in Poole for a day of fun engineering activities and to promote careers in engineering.

’By using LikeToBe we are now able to go a big step further by promoting the RNLI and our wide range of careers pathways, particularly in engineering, to a much wider audience.’

Marelisa Vega, Co-Head of Community Investment at GE, said: ’We are thrilled to be working with LikeToBe. It’s exciting to be a part of such an innovative way to have STEM-inspired career conversations with young people about the fascinating array of opportunities in STEM through a safe online environment.’

Students can book a place at ‘Pandemic Proof - Protect Your Employability Post Pandemic’ at ?www.bit.ly/LTBcareerfairpp? and ‘Women in Engineering - The World of Engineering Wants You’ at ?https://bit.ly/LTBcareerfairwie?.