The Maskwacis Spring Job Fair is growing, as more schools, employers and community members come to realize its benefits.
“The benefits are that we have the employers come directly to the community to offer the opportunities our people don’t get, because of transportation barriers,” said Danielle Cardinal, employer liaison with the Maskwacis Employment Centre.
This year the fair, held at the Howard Buffalo Memorial Centre on Thursday, March 26, also saw more high school students attend, and while they were always welcome in the past, Cardinal says it was not geared toward them in the same capacity.
“A lot of schools were interested in coming,” said Cardinal. “We developed the idea to have more attend.”
Last year the fair had 41 exhibitors, this year Cardinal says a total of 62 registered. “My goal was to actively get a lot more local companies to come out.”
With the economy in its current state and a regression of jobs in the oilfield, the objective of the fair was to highlight companies still hiring, in order to show the people there are still jobs available.
However, that did not mean the oil industry was completely cut out, as many companies are still accepting applications.
When it comes to community reception, Cardinal says the fair has been quite popular. “We do get a lot of people from the local community attending.”
This year, Cardinal says she also saw a lot of unfamiliar faces in the crowd and feels word of the fair has spread to communities in surrounding areas.
Another big message the job fair likes to promote is that it is not the only opportunity for those in the community who have to seek employment. The host organization, the Maskwacis Employment Centre, is open year long, offering employment aid services.