AN EMPLOYERS' fair at the University of Newport attracted more than 20 South Wales-based companies.

Held in the main hall at the university's Allt-yr-yn campus, students had the opportunity to check out a diverse range of career options.

Careers service information officer Kim Jones said: "This is the third annual employers fair we've held and we attracted a good mix of employers to talk to students and recent graduates.

"It's good to see so many people taking advantage of the opportunity to meet up and do some networking."

Katrina Godwin, a 22-year-old who is studying for an education degree, is unsure whether she now wants to pursue a career in teaching.

She said: "I still want to work with children but I'm unsure of what direction to take. The fair has been very useful in showing me some of the options open to me. I've picked up plenty of information to study when I get home."

Business student Lisa Wenjia Zhang was looking for opportunities to gain work experience. "I've found the fair a very useful way to make contact with local employers," she said.

Andrew Trebilcock, a technical training manager with Admiral Insurance, said many students were looking for part-time work which they could fit around their studies.

He said: "This is the first year we've been here and we've spoken to a wide variety of people, many of whom aren't sure yet what they're looking for in a future career."

One of the busiest stands was run by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) which entertained a steady stream of students.

"A lot of our accountancy students come to us from Newport," said ACCA information officer Ceri Mound. "More people are realising that accountancy offers a very exciting career, especially if people want to travel widely with their work. The ACCA qualification opens up over 160 countries where they can operate."