Hundreds of island students and recent graduates explored potential career paths at Wednesday’s annual Young Adult and Graduate Fair at the Villa Marina.

Sponsored by Zurich Isle of Man and organised by government agency Locate Isle of Man, the event featured more than 50 exhibitors plus a variety of workshops and speakers.

The fair is designed to highlight the broad and diverse employment opportunities available for people living in the island, and those considering relocating or returning to it.

The annual event brought together a mix of local and international employers, training providers and higher education institutions, aiming to equip attendees with the knowledge and tools needed to make informed decisions about their next steps.

In addition to the Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer and Chief Minister Alfred Cannan, Enterprise Minister Tim Johnston and department member Ann Corlett MHK were also in attendance.

Talking about the overarching aims of the fair Mrs Corlett said: ‘Simply we want young people to come back to the island. That's it. It's vital for the economy that young people do come back and stay with us and have families and live in the Isle of Man.

‘That’s the importance of events like this. You just feel it yourself. It's so positive, lots of smiley people. It's a really great event to attend.’

Sixth-form students from across the island attended, including Ramsey Grammar School’s Jake Parker who plans to study pathology in the future.

He said: ‘There's a wide variety of opportunities available, especially with work experience, which at sixth form is incredibly valuable, especially for UCAS applications and CVs.

‘Hopefully, I want to become a pathologist, which is the study of disease. I just want to do my best try and get into the medical field - I’ve reached out to as many people as I can.’

QEII pair Oscar Westwell and Harry Perks said they have an open mindset when it comes to the future, with Harry thinking about joining the Navy.

He said: ‘Today shows there's a lot of businesses in the island that are looking to employ young people. Even, businesses which are off island, but have offices here.’

Five schoolfriends from Ramsey Grammar have high hopes for the future with offers from universities flooding in.

Lily Gell, Ruby Reynolds, Maisie Kinrade, Amy Lewthaite and Alyssa Mallorca are planning to study a range of subjects including nursing, biological science, genetics, physiotherapy and pharmacology.

The girls plan to attend universities such as Leeds Beckett, Liverpool, Exeter and York.

When asked if they plan to move back to the island following their degree, they mutually agreed that it would depend what the island had to offer when the time came.

Talking about entering the job market for the first time, Mrs Corlett added: ‘I just say, try it. You may not like it, that's fine. You can swap; you can change, but ultimately find something you love.’

Aside from the headline sponsor, organisers also partnered with Capital International, who supported the event as sustainability partners.