Virtual job fair happening Thursday for employers & job seekers in Brockville, Prescott and Kemptville
Looking for that next job has become easier thanks to technology, with one Brockville organization adapting to hold their first virtual job fair on Thursday.
The Employment & Education Centre (EEC) would usually hold an in-person job fair every year, but for 2022 they've gone virtual.
"You can stay at the comfort of your own home, get online and speak to employers across Brockville, Prescott and Kemptville," said EEC business service manager Teanne Larocque.
"Two years ago, we would have done it in person, so this year we've partnered with vFairs, Centre for Workforce Development as well as CSE Consulting in Prescott," Larocque added.
Their first ever virtual job fair will run on Thursday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., with more than 35 employers signed up, looking to fill almost 200 jobs in a wide range of categories.
"General labourers, servers, cooks, advisors, receptionists, sales associates, lots of opportunities for everybody," Larocque added. "Individuals just log in with an email address, they create a password, then just simply log in to the platform."
The Aquatarium in downtown Brockville is one of those 35 employers registered, looking to fill more than 20 positions.
"From driving the train, which is going to be a lot of fun, front desk attendants, we are also doing tourism for the city so we have our tourism ambassadors—so, there's a number of positions, floor support and camp councillors as well," said executive director Thomas Harder.
He notes that by doing a job fair virtually, his team can connect with would-be hires immediately.
"If they have additional questions or want to know more, we will be available and can answer anything that people might want to know," he said.
Harder believes that if the virtual fair is successful, it will become the norm going forward.
"I think we've all learned that technology is great and it's another tool in our arsenal to make this work, especially with the shortage in staff we are seeing in the region as a whole," Harder said.
He encourages students to apply as well through the summer months, as the Aquatarium's mandate is to encourage curiosity in the 1000 Islands region.
"You will go home with something that is rewarding, knowing that you've educated and helped people learn a little bit more about what's going on in our region," Harder said. "There’s a fun behind it. It's not a museum; we're here to interact, we're hired to have a good time, we're here to learn and play at the same time."
Aquatarium executive director Thomas Harder showing off the 'Power of Water' exhibit. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)
"I think it's a win-win for both the employers and the job seekers," added Larocque. "If they can't come to the fair in person, now they can access it in their own home.
"It’s great for students who maybe are still off in college or university. They can jump on board tomorrow if they are looking to come home and do summer employment and talk to those employers right online," she added.
Other features will be available during the fair, including live speakers and business information sessions.
The portal is already online to navigate ahead of the fair once people have registered.
Teanne Larocque showing off the virtual job fair portal. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)
"Job seekers can jump on at any point just to get familiar with the platform, take a look at the employers that are on board, start preparing themselves a little bit and seeing what vacancies are out there," Larocque said.
She said the EEC has seen a slight increase of people coming in looking for employment, and more people moving to the area as well.
"But again, there is still so many jobs out there, employers are hurting and they are needing people to come back to the workforce and fill these jobs," she said. "I wouldn't say it's fully got better, it's got a little bit, but we still need many more people out in that workforce.
"We want to see people online tomorrow, looking at all the employers, looking at all the vacancies," she added. "We need many job seekers out there to fill these gaps and the shortage in our area so we hope everybody enjoys it."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
ArriveCan contractor to be admonished by MPs in extraordinarily rare parliamentary display
Enacting an extraordinarily rarely used parliamentary power, MPs have summoned an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon to be admonished publicly for failing to answer their questions.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Gas prices across Ontario expected to climb to levels not seen since 2022, analyst says
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archeological site in southwest France.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s sons have released a single together
A new Lennon and McCartney collaboration is the last thing anybody expected.