Recruitment and professional development are increasingly connected. Employers need people with the right skills today, while employees and jobseekers need opportunities to keep developing those skills as roles and business requirements change.
That makes Jobs Expo Dublin relevant to more than people actively searching for their next job. Taking place on Saturday, 17 October 2026 at the RDS in Dublin, the event will bring employers, recruiters, education providers, career professionals and jobseekers together for a day focused on recruitment, career development and progression. Entry is free with registration.
For HR, L&D and training professionals, the event also offers an opportunity to look at the wider relationship between talent acquisition and skills development.
Hiring someone with the right experience is only one part of building a strong workforce. Organisations also need to consider how employees will develop once they join, where skills gaps exist and how existing staff can prepare for new responsibilities.
This is where recruitment and training increasingly overlap. A candidate may have the technical qualifications required for a role but need additional development in areas such as leadership, communication, project management, digital skills or industry-specific knowledge.
For employers, understanding these gaps can help inform both recruitment decisions and future training plans. Instead of viewing recruitment and professional development as separate activities, organisations can use information gathered during the hiring process to identify areas where targeted learning could strengthen their wider talent strategy.
Jobs Expo Dublin provides an opportunity to see the recruitment market from a number of perspectives. Employers attending the event can meet candidates face-to-face, discuss live vacancies and develop relationships with people who may become part of their future talent pipeline.
For HR and L&D teams, those conversations can also provide useful insight into what candidates are looking for from employers. Career progression, opportunities to learn, professional qualifications and ongoing development can all influence how organisations attract and retain talent.
The event's programme also includes career talks and professional advice, while exhibitors include employers and education providers. TU Dublin, DCU and ATU for example, are exhibiting at the October event with information about postgraduate, professional and lifelong learning opportunities.
Career mobility is another area where recruitment and training intersect.
Jobs Expo Dublin welcomes experienced professionals considering a move, recent graduates, people returning to work and candidates looking to reskill into different sectors.
For employers, this can broaden the conversation around transferable skills. Someone changing sector may not have followed the traditional career path for a particular position, but could bring valuable experience from another field alongside a willingness to undertake further training.
For training professionals, career changers also represent an important audience. Short courses, professional qualifications and targeted skills programmes can help people bridge the gap between their existing experience and the requirements of a new career.
The recruitment process can provide employers with valuable information about their existing talent strategy.
Repeated difficulty recruiting for particular skills may indicate a wider skills shortage. In other cases, an organisation may discover that it could develop some capabilities internally through structured training, mentoring or professional development.
Jobs Expo can therefore be viewed as part of a broader talent strategy rather than simply a one-day recruitment exercise. Employers attending the event can meet potential candidates, promote their organisation and build relationships that may continue after the event. Exhibitors also have access to TalentIQ, allowing them to manage candidate information and follow up after the event.
That creates an opportunity to think beyond the immediate vacancy: which candidates could be suitable for current roles, which might require additional development, and which could become part of a longer-term talent pipeline?
For jobseekers, the value of an employer is increasingly about more than the vacancy itself.
Candidates may want to know what progression looks like, whether professional development is supported and what opportunities exist to acquire new skills. Employers that can clearly communicate their approach to learning and development can use this as part of their wider employer proposition.
Training also has a role before someone reaches the recruitment stage. Professional development can help candidates strengthen their CV, demonstrate commitment to a particular career path and build skills that employers are looking for.
For CorporateTraining.ie readers, this is an important reminder that training can support the full talent lifecycle, from attracting candidates and making successful hires through to developing and retaining employees.
The changing labour market means organisations need to think carefully about how they attract, develop and retain talent. Recruitment events such as Jobs Expo Dublin bring these issues together by putting employers, candidates, education providers and career professionals in the same space.
For HR and L&D teams, it is an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the skills candidates are bringing to the market, the development opportunities they value and the challenges employers are facing when recruiting.
Jobs Expo Dublin takes place on Saturday, 17 October 2026 at the RDS, Dublin. The event runs from 11am, with free admission for registered attendees.
For organisations currently reviewing their recruitment, workforce development or training strategies, the event provides a useful opportunity to meet the people behind the CVs and consider how recruitment and professional development can work together.
