Brentwood's jobs fair returns to the Brentwood Centre on 7 October with a new area for 18 to 24-year-olds out of work or training. Stands are free for employers.

Brentwood’s annual Jobs, Skills and Volunteering Event returns to the Brentwood Centre on Wednesday 7 October. This year it carries a section aimed squarely at young people who are out of work and out of education. Employers, training providers and volunteering organisations can book a stand free of charge.

The practical details, from the council’s announcement on 21 August:

  • When: Wednesday 7 October 2026, 11am to 3pm
  • Where: the Brentwood Centre, Doddinghurst Road, Pilgrims Hatch, CM15 9NN
  • Who it is for: residents aged 16 to 50 and over looking for work, training or volunteering
  • Stands: free, for local businesses, training providers and volunteering organisations
  • To book: email business@brentwood.gov.uk
  • Run by: Brentwood Borough Council, with Brentwood Jobcentre Plus and Brentwood Community and Voluntary Service

New this year is a dedicated area for young people aged 18 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training. The council says the aim is extra support and guidance “for those who may face barriers entering the workforce”. Hundreds of visitors are expected.

Councillor David Kendall, chair of the council’s Finance and Future Development Committee, said the event “helps bring local opportunities directly to residents” and encouraged organisations across the borough “to take advantage of a free stand”.

The figures behind the new youth area

The borough’s overall jobs picture is comfortable. In July, 1,215 Brentwood residents were claiming unemployment-related benefits. That is 2.5 per cent of those aged 16 to 64, against 3.1 per cent across Essex, 3.3 per cent in the East of England and 3.9 per cent across the UK. (ONS claimant count via Nomis)

Underneath that total, one age group is moving in the opposite direction to everyone else.

  • 18 to 24-year-olds claiming in Brentwood: 175 in July 2024, 180 in July 2025, 200 in July 2026
  • The borough total over the same two years went the other way, from 1,250 down to 1,215
  • Of the 25-claimant rise in the past year, 20 sits with 18 to 24-year-olds

In other words, the age group the council has just built a dedicated area for is the only part of the local claimant count that has grown over two years. That is the strongest justification for the new NEET section, and the council’s release does not make the point itself.

Bar chart of the change in 18 to 24-year-old claimants across Essex's twelve districts between July 2024 and July 2026, from Uttlesford up 54.5 per cent to Braintree up 11.2 per cent, with Brentwood up 14.3 per cent
Graphic by Brentwood Online

Set against the rest of Essex, though, Brentwood is holding up well. Its 18 to 24 count is up 14.3 per cent in two years, against 22.2 per cent across Essex, 21.8 per cent across the East of England and 15.7 per cent across the UK. Of the county’s twelve districts, only Braintree has risen more slowly, at 11.2 per cent. Brentwood and Colchester are tied on 14.3 per cent. At the other end, Uttlesford is up 54.5 per cent and Maldon 44.4 per cent, both from small bases. (Nomis, claimant count by age, retrieved 22 August 2026)

Three caveats matter with these numbers. Every figure is rounded to the nearest five, so on a base of 200 a single rounding step moves the percentage noticeably. The claimant count is not the unemployment rate: it counts people on Jobseeker’s Allowance plus Universal Credit claimants required to look for work, including some who are working on low earnings. And it is not seasonally adjusted, so July always carries school and college leavers, which is why July is compared only with July here.

What it means for you

If you run a business in the borough and are recruiting, a free stand in front of hundreds of local jobseekers is a straightforward offer. Email business@brentwood.gov.uk. The council is particularly asking for providers working on employability, skills, health and wellbeing, and helping people back into work. The release does not give a booking deadline, so ask when you email.

If you are 18 to 24 and out of work or training, you do not have to wait until October. The government’s Youth Guarantee Journey replaced the Youth Offer in June 2026. The extra youth support is arranged through a work coach, so the gov.uk guidance on help finding work for claimants aged 16 to 24 is the place to start. The DWP jobcentre finder gives the address and opening hours for Brentwood Jobcentre Plus, one of the event’s partners. The National Careers Service is free in England and takes calls and webchat.

School leavers who have just picked up results are in the same window. Our GCSE results coverage sets out what happens if you missed a grade 4 in English or maths. The June claimant count story has the ward by ward figures, which run from 1.1 per cent in Shenfield to 3.5 per cent in Brentwood West.

Getting to the Brentwood Centre matters too if the event lands on a week of closures: our roadworks and travel page tracks what is shut across the borough.