Opportunity knocks at the 15th annual Youth Hiring Fair

Today The City of Calgary kicked off its 15^th Annual Youth Hiring Fair at Stampede Park in anticipation of matching up thousands of eager job seekers with equally excited employers.

In the first hour alone, an estimated 2,500 young people were in attendance at the event at the Big Four Building.

“We believe it is important to support young people and their aspirations,” said Karen Young, Director of Community & Neighbourhood Services at The City, “This event provides employment opportunities that will build confidence and skills in our youth and strengthen our city as a whole.”

The Youth Hiring Fair is an initiative of Community & Neighbourhood Services through the Youth Employment Centre, and is Calgary’s only hiring fair exclusively for young people aged 15 to 24. Today’s event features more than 5,000 full-time, part-time, seasonal and career opportunities offered by over 80 employers.

Among the first people through the doors today were 16-year-old Riana Lundgren and 17-year-old Gage Swanson who had been waiting in line three hours in advance of the event. They were looking forward to exploring all the opportunities in areas such as recreation, trades, logistics, hospitality, retail and not-for-profit.

“I’m hoping to get on with a company here,” said Swanson who was interested in a door-to-door marketing position. “This event gives you the opportunity to speak with employers directly, and life is about connections.”

Employers were equally excited to see so many qualified young people with the potential to fill needed roles within their organizations.

“This is the best opportunity for us to recruit for the multiple positions we have,” said Chantelle Pinder of the Calgary Winter Club. “We’re looking for positions like recreation leaders, servers and an assistant restaurant manager. We fill most of the positions from this event.”

The Youth Hiring Fair runs until 6 p.m. today. For more information regarding the Youth Hiring Fair and opportunities to participate next year visit www.nextsteps.org.

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