A HIGH school in Astley hosted the largest careers convention in the north west last Thursday.

St Mary’s Catholic High School says the 27th annual Careers Convention was a ‘great success’, with students from years eight to 13 attending and more than 110 exhibitors taking part.

At a time when there are more than 573,000 people aged between 16 and 24 unemployed in the country, the purpose of the convention was to give young people the opportunity to obtain expert careers advice in various fields of employment, training and further/higher education.

The representatives discussed the nature of their work, entry requirements, training and prospects for career development.

Wigan Careers Service was also in attendance to deal with any queries parents and pupils had.

One parent said: “It was a fantastic opportunity for younger students to experience so many companies and universities.”

Another added: "It was a really useful evening. My daughter talked to lots of different people from a variety of companies and it has really made her think about her future career."

An exhibitor said: "It was great to see so many students asking questions about my profession."

Another added: "It is a particularly unique event, one I have not come across before in terms reaching out to younger students in relation to their future careers.

“But it was great to see their enthusiasm and interest in STEM subjects and I look forward to attending again next year."