HUNDREDS of people turned out to the Army Reserves’ jobs fairs in the Black Country last week to find out more about paid volunteer opportunities.

The Reserves joined forces with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to offer job and training opportunities at fairs in their Dudley and Oldbury centres.

For the fourth year in a row, the Army Reserve Centre at Alamein House in Dudley, home of the Royal Yeomanry’s B Squadron, opened its doors to local unemployed people and those considering a change of career.

Soldiers were on hand to talk to people about the many paid volunteer opportunities available as well as displaying some of the state of the art equipment used on exercises, including a revised weapons mounted installation kit, a lightly armoured, highly-mobile fire support and force protection Land Rover.

As well as the Army, Debenhams and National Express were among 40 employers manning stands in a hall where the ceiling was covered in webbing as used by the Army on exercises.

It was a similar story in Oldbury, when DWP teamed up with 225 Field Squadron, Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia), where soldiers from the squadron demonstrated some of their skills and equipment used for military engineering construction tasks that are also used in civilian workplaces.

A DWP spokesman said: “The Army has been so helpful running the event with, as would be expected, military precision. This jobs fair just gets bigger and better every year.”

At both Army reserve centres, people signed up to find out more about opportunities in the Reserves and how these can enhance their employment prospects.