MORE than 850 students in the Forest are being offered advice on their future careers by some of the area’s leading employers at a “ground-breaking” event this month.

The Forest Economic Partnership (FEP) is launching a new initiative dubbed ‘Inspiring the Forest’, with the aim of raising the career aspirations of young people in the district and connecting local companies with their next generation of employees.

The inaugural event will see local employers and educators on hand at Cinderford’s Gloucestershire College campus to offer students insight about job opportunities across five areas of employment - hospitality and tourism, engineering and manufacturing, professional services, health and wellbeing, and communication and media.

FEP board chair and one of the event participants Neill Ricketts, owner of Longhope-based materials firm Versarien, said: “Inspiring the Forest is a ground breaking initiative to raise the career aspirations among our young people, their teachers and parents across the Forest of Dean.

“We want to raise awareness of the type of jobs available here in the Forest and increase awareness of the skills required for local jobs at all levels from apprentices to senior managers.

“If young people leave the Forest it is often very hard for them to come back.

“One of the things that I benefited from when I was a school leaver was seeing what opportunities were actually out there.

“You don’t know what you don’t know, and your ideal job could be just down the road”.

The event is being supported by the likes of Suntory Food and Beverage GB&I and Hartpury College and University, with Year 9 pupils from Five Acres High School, Dene Magna School, Newent Community School, Forest High School, Wyedean School and Sixth Form Centre and Dean Academy all set to take part.

Amy Knight of Suntory said: ”The Inspiring the Forest event allows us to connect with our next generation of employees and inspire them around the opportunities available within a food and drink manufacturing business”.

Assistant Principal at Gloucestershire College Sandra Tyrrell commented: “This is a fantastic opportunity for students from all the Forest schools to join an event which showcases the career opportunities on their doorstep.

“Some they may already be aware of but others which they do not have.”

The event is set to take place on Thursday, November 24, with parents and families able to attend from 3pm.

Students are also being encouraged to take part in a Hartpury-sponsored TikTok challenge as part of the event, with FEP Director David Trevelyan asking students to stitch his video with what their dream job would be in the future for a chance to win a prize.