Caledon Community Services’ multi-employer job fair a huge hit

Written By ALYSSA PARKHILL

On Feb 6, Caledon Community Services (CCS) hosted their Multi-Employer Job Fair to help residents in the community connect with local employers. 

Members of the community of all ages filled the hallways of the Upper Level Royal Courtyards in Bolton, with most armed with resumes and job seeking faces. 

Employers had their tables packed with information and available employment opportunities ready to meet and engage in those in the community looking for a job.  

Full-time and part-time positions were available for several businesses, while there were also many volunteer opportunities offered by Caledon Community Services themselves, with some opportunities also provided by the Region of Peel. 

“Sometimes job seekers are underemployed, so they have time to volunteer and they're looking to build their skills. So maybe they aren't getting hired, so this is a way for them to build their resume and their networks,” said Alexandra Srdoc, Coordinator of Volunteer Services at Region of Peel. “Being a part of the Health Services, we have public health programs and long-term care opportunities, as well as some other community services.”

Roughly 20 different local businesses attended, including Mount Alverno Luxury Resort, YMCA Cedar Glenn – Outdoor Centre, Primerica, Amazon and many more. 

 Devil's Pulpit Golf Association were excited to be a part of the Multi-Employer Job Fair for the third year in a row. With a decade long relationship with CCS and being a business that maybe some people wouldn't think about joining, the fair gives the association the opportunity to expand their business and promote while looking for potential employees at the same time. 

“Especially because we are remote, a lot of people don't realize that we're there. We're a hidden gem. It's important for us to get our name out there. If we don't tell you we're there, you wouldn't know,” explains Human Resources Manager, Candi Kubiak. “An event like this gives you, as a person seeking a job, the opportunity to see what is available.”

“From a recruitment standpoint, the days of us hosting our job fair and having lineups out the door are gone. You can't trust employees to come to you anymore, you have go out and find them,” added Golf Course Superintendent, Rob Wright. 

Many of the businesses were excited to be given the opportunity to engage with residents and to be a part of the job fair within the community. 

“It's finding people in the community to work and it's nice to be able to engage in our community and be a part of the community,” said Roneta Clemens, Director of Customer Service from the YMCA Cedar Glen. 

The event turned out to be a success for job seekers and future employers. Caledon Community Services continue to assist members of the community through several different events and fairs through a variety of programs.

“CCS' February Multi-Employer Community Job Fair was a great success. We welcomed a record number of more than 250 job seekers to our first event in 2020 and hosted 24 employers from Caledon and the surrounding area. CCS Employment and Training programs provide a great opportunity to connect the local labour market. Workshops, guest speakers, job fairs, online job bank and employment coaches are just a few of the free services offered today,” said Director of Employment and Training at CCS, Cathy Perennec McLean. “We encourage employers and job seekers to connect with us at any time.”

For more information about Caledon Community Services and their employment programs visit ccs4u.org/employment.