Civic centre home for Job Fair last week

The third annual Prince Rupert and area job fair took place on Friday at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre, a six hour exhibition of local employers, education providers and small business consultants all with plans to showcase what they have to offer the area.

While it was more like a trade show of local employers, as opposed to an actual cattle call of job opportunities, it did allow a number of local businesses to present their corporate and institutional face to a wide number of Rupertites.

Unlike Job Fairs in larger centers which have numerous employers looking to fill the need for immediate employees and hooking up with would be job seekers, the Rupert version is for the most part seemed to be more of a long term informational session.

High School and College Students, as well as those Rupertites looking for work and those looking for a change in their current employment status were invited to the Civic Centre to check out the options.

The Federal government was well represented with the likes of the Canadian Border Services, RCMP and Armed Forces involved in the event as were such local industries such as Prince Rupert Grain, Northern Savings Credit Union, Overwaitea and Zellers to name a few.

The Daily News had provided a preview of Friday’s event in the Thursday paper.

JOB FAIR TO SHOWCASE PROSPECTS AMID TURN-AROUND
The Daily News
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Page one

Prince Rupert and Area’s third annual Job Fair takes place tomorrow at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre Auditorium from 10 a. m to 4 p. m.

The general public, students and especially job seekers are encouraged to attend this free event hosted by the Career Resource Centre and Edge Youth Employment Centre on Friday March 9.

“The response from the community has been excellent,” said Wendy Prystay, managing director of the Career Resource Centre.

“We anticipate having more than 30 different businesses and organizations representing a good cross section of various industries, including educational opportunities.

“Many of these exhibitors will be accepting resumes for both seasonal and long term employment. We are telling job seekers to dress to impress, bring your updated resume and a smile.”

Some of the opportunities at the job fair include networking with others in the community and the ability for potential employees to reach people who may already be employed but seeking new employment. It’s also a way for local business to showcase what the services they have to offer.

David Peterson, manager of the Edge Youth Employment Centre, noted that the mood in the community has shifted since they held their first job fair.

“With some exciting projects currently underway and more on the horizon, economic conditions have been gradually improving in our area,” said Peterson.

“In terms of advertised full time and part-time jobs for Prince Rupert and area, the year 2006 saw 1,617 jobs compared to only 429 jobs recorded in 2001 – a remarkable improvement. Although it is still a competitive job market right now, we need to remember that we have come a long way in the last half decade.”

Some of the confirmed exhibitors taking part include Adventure Paving, Archipelago Marine Research, the Canadian Border Services Agency, the Canadian Armed Forces and Navy, Canadian Fishing Company, the District of Port Edward, the Hecate Strait Business Development Society, Investors Group, the Ministry of Forests and Range, Northern Savings Credit Union, Overwaitea, Prince Rupert Grain, the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital, RCMP Prince Rupert, Scotiabank, Tricorp, Triump Vocational Services, the Visitor Information Centre, West Coast Hospitality and Zellers.