There’s something for everyone at the Black Press Extreme Education & Career Fair today, with 110 booths ranging from the budding cannabis industry to a variety of law enforcement branches, health insurance to car insurance, colleges to pension associations.
Among those hiring at the fair, being held at the Cloverdale Agriplex, is the B.C. Corrections Branch, which spoke with Black Press reporters about some of the people he’s been seeing coming around and some of the qualities they’re hoping to see.
Rod Johnston with B.C. Corrections says they’re hearing from people who are feeling job insecurity or who are looking to switch careers. For those who are looking for careers in corrections, Johnston says the biggest quality, among patience and empathy, is having a strong customer service skill set.
Black Press also spoke with Mike Beattie, an operations supervisor with the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch, who said his booth has managed to turn a few heads. With a large poster of a cannabis bud dominating the back of the booth, just over a month before legalization, the B.C. government’s cannabis branch booth is rather eye-catching.
Beattie says the government is looking for people to work at stores as they open in mid-October, as well as people to work at the call centre, expecting to be hearing plenty from the public as legalization comes into play.
If numbers are your game, GroupHEALTH Benefit Solutions was onsite to talk about some of their employment opportunities — talent acquisition specialist Alex Little says the company is hiring largely in sales.
Situated right at the entrance, Little says her booth has been exceptionally busy, with most people stopping by either on their way in or on their way out.
But it’s not all about jobs, per se. Just around the corner from GroupHEALTH was Stenberg College, which offers more career-oriented and short programs, says Sableen Minhas marketing and public relations specialist.
Minhas says she’s been hearing from people who are just graduated or who are looking to switch careers, offering programs like hospital support work, something more niche that one might not immediately think of when considering careers.
By 3 p.m., an estimated 2,500 people had come through the doors — job candidates can drop off resumes from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Cloverdale Agriplex, located at 17798 62 Ave, Surrey.
