April 22, 2021

The seventh annual Gunnedah Youth Expo has wrapped up with more than 250 young people filling the Gunnedah Town Hall yesterday for information to help them on their life path.

The day featured 30 exhibitors including tertiary education providers, health and community services and a range of local businesses.

Jacinta Mannion’s local business Mannion Drilling was one of several local exhibitors at the expo. She said they were thrilled to be involved and meet so many passionate and engaged young people here in Gunnedah.

“These young people are future leaders in our community and we hope we may see some to go on and take up opportunities with us here at Mannion,” Mrs Mannion said.

Council Manager of Customer and Community Relations Charlotte Hoddle said it was positive to see young people connecting and exploring their future pathways.

“We were fortunate to have so many service providers on hand to answer questions and talk to students about the services they have to offer,” Ms Hoddle said.

“The 5 TAFE NSW mobile training units proved to be popular, providing students with a hands-on preview of work in industries like hairdressing, beauty, welding, engineering and hospitality.

“For the first time we also had several local businesses in attendance, giving young people exposure to possible future employment opportunities in their home town.

“Thank you to our local businesses and services for taking time away from their jobs to attend and share their knowledge. We would also like to thank the schools for taking time out of their busy timetables to bring through such a fantastic group of interested and enthusiastic students who really got involved this year.”

The annual event is a joint initiative of Gunnedah Shire Council and NSW Youth Week.

Youth Week continues until April 24, with many events including the interschool debate, a stand-up comedy workshop and festival still to come.

Caption: Gunnedah High School students Jack Trappel (left) and Lachlan Moore at the 2021 Youth Expo.

ENDS

Media contact: Communications team (02) 6740 2100.