By Sandi Krasowski | The Chronicle-Journal
More than 2,500 Confederation College students in Thunder Bay, Ont., had an opportunity to meet with potential employers and personally hand in resumes during the school’s annual Career and Job Fair this week.
Dan Stezenko, supervisor of the college’s Northwest Employment Works said the fair aims to connect current students, recent graduates, alumni and community job seekers with more than 70 employers and organizations ready to hire. The employers range from health, care, construction and policing, to financial and “every industry you can think of.”
“It’s mostly about making connections with employers, dropping off resumes and finding out about what the companies have to offer but there’s no interviewing happening at the career fair,” Stezenko said.
“It’s imperative that our students are connected with the workforce, and it’s also imperative for the employers to have access to this huge pool of talented, trained, potential employees that are graduating.”
Bibek Sharma is an international student from Nepal studying engineering, business and safety management at the college.
“This career fair is pretty important because you get to find out about different companies that are locally available for us to find jobs,” Sharma said.
His classmate, Sushil Khadka, also an international student, is studying for the same postgraduate diploma in engineering, business and safety management.
“This is so important for everyone who is studying here because they can meet the employer and then they can also meet with workers within the organization so they can learn more about what skills are needed to prepare themselves when they are applying for the job,” said Khadka.
Rita Romeo, the people and culture manager for Doane Grant Thornton’s Northern Ontario business unit, was among the exhibitors meeting the students and said the company has enjoyed many years of college connections to fill co-op placements and full-time opportunities.
“We’ve been able to collaborate with the college for many years, to get some very talented and amazing students through the school’s accounting and business programs,” she said. “It’s really a great opportunity to meet the talent that they have here at the college, and while it helps us from a recruitment standpoint, it also provides the students an amazing opportunity to field out any opportunities to join us, either full time or for a summer internship.”
More than 2,500 students attended last year’s college career fair, and the college expects the same number this year.
