“The economic downturn has created a tighter youth job market in Calgary,” said Jennifer Gee, community relations liaison with The City’s Youth Employment Centre. “With more than 80 employers here, youth are taking advantage of the opportunity to make connections that could lead them towards the start of their career”.
18th Annual Youth Hiring Fair attracts large crowd
Calgary’s youth turned up in large numbers this afternoon for The City of Calgary’s 18th Annual Youth Hiring Fair at the Big Four Building at Stampede Park. An estimated 1,000 youth were lined up in advance of the Fair’s doors opening at 1:30 p.m.
Calgary’s only hiring fair exclusively for youth 15-24 features more than 80 employers from a variety of industries including recreation, customer service, hospitality and financial services.
“The economic downturn has created a tighter youth job market in Calgary,” said Jennifer Gee, community relations liaison with The City’s Youth Employment Centre. “With more than 80 employers here, youth are taking advantage of the opportunity to make connections that could lead them towards the start of their career”.
One of the first persons in line for the Youth Hiring Fair today was 18 year-old Evan Borch from Hidden Valley.
“The economy has been kind of rough,” said Borch. “I‘ve been looking for jobs and trying to keep my doors open. I’m keeping an open mind and looking for any opportunities that might be available at this Fair”.
For employers, the Youth Hiring Fair provides an opportunity to fill a variety of roles within their organizations in a short amount of time.
“We’ve been quite impressed with the caliber of candidates at the Fair,” said Karen Longden, human resources advisor with the Calgary Zoo. “We’re seeing a lot of prepared and enthusiastic individuals who are eager to take the first or next step in their career.”
The Annual Youth Hiring Fair is just one initiative offered by The Youth Employment Centre. The Youth Employment Centre provides a variety of free year-round career planning and employment services to individuals between the ages of 15-24 such as hiring fairs, one-on-one career counselling, resume and job search assistance.
The Youth Hiring Fair runs until 6 p.m. today. For more information, including a list of companies participating in the fair please visit www.nextsteps.org.
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