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THE STAR – ATTENDANCE AT FESTIVAL SATISFYING

Check out what happened when Julie went to speak at the Otago Careers festival on 13th May 2010

Attendance at festival satisfying
By MICHELLE McCULLOUGH

DESPITE only being 13 days into its schedule of events, the second Otago Careers Festival is already being hailed as a success. Festival coordinator Victoria Bunton said attendance numbers to events so far had been healthy. ‘‘A couple of the workshops had to put on second sessions because so many people wanted to attend.’’ Miss Bunton said the most popular events so far had been Blind Ambition — a talk by inspirational speaker and author Julie Woods, also known as ‘‘that blind woman’’, and a session entitled Cracking the Hidden Job Market. ‘‘I think it’s a great opportunity to show what opportunities are out there in Otago, and provide support for people who are looking for a job, changing careers and going into their first job. Attendance numbers have shown there is a need for it.’’ Miss Bunton said the festival still had many highlights including the festival’s biggest event — The Coca-Cola Careers Expo 2010 which starts on Sunday and runs until May 18 at the Lion Foundation Arena in the Edgar Sports Centre. This event caters for secondary school pupils, school-leavers and parents, and will feature representatives from a range of tertiary providers, training institutes, employers, industries, government departments and corporate New Zealand. Other events coming up include workshops on working past retirement, career help in uncertain times and apprenticeship options. For more information on upcoming events, visit www. otagocareersfestival.co.nz