With resumes and a list of questions in hand, about 400 graduating students at Coquitlam’s Pinetree Secondary crowded a gym on Wednesday (Feb. 1) to get their first taste of the employment market.
Companies such as TD Bank, RBC, Safeway, Thrifty Foods, Mary Browns Chicken and Amazon sent representatives to the school to recruit and to offer insight about how to apply for a job.
Organized by teacher Natalee Lovelock, who handles the Career Life Connections (CLC, formerly Grad Transitions) program for Pinetree, the student hiring fair was a pilot program for WorkBC.
The event was geared toward Grade 12 students, as they are over the minimum working age of 16.
However, students in grades 9 to 11 were also invited in after lunch to check out what employment opportunities may exist when they’re out of school and to help prepare for their Capstone presentations before graduation, Lovelock said.
Those presentations give Grade 12s the chance to explain to school administrators their future education and career goals.
The WorkBC hiring fair “gives the students a connection into the adult world,” Lovelock said, “so they know what to expect.”
Tony Sousa of WorkBC said his government-funded agency targets youth job seekers ages 16 to 30 years old by providing the following services at no cost to the participant:
- employment planning
- resume and cover letter building
- interview practice
- career exploration
- employment workshops
In the Tri-Cities, WorkBC case managers and job developers work out of three offices:
- Coquitlam: 221-3030 Lincoln Ave.
- Port Coquitlam: 206-2540 Shaughnessy St.
- Port Moody: 301-130 Brew St.
Sousa said he hopes WorkBC will be able to reach other high schools in School District 43 besides Pinetree.
“Now that COVID-19 is over, it would be great to have this happen again — in person — in other schools,” he told the Tri-City News.
But while technology sectors are currently shedding staff, industries such as hospitality, the environment and healthcare are desperate for skilled workers, he said.
And entry-level jobs — part-time, after school and/or on the weekends — are a good way for students to dip their feet in.
“The kids like it because, in many cases, it’s their first job and the first time they’ve been paid,” Sousa said.
“And the employers like it because they can pay starting wages and they can train. The students don’t have any preconceptions about training in a workplace.”
As for the company reps onsite Feb. 1, they were shocked at the quality of questions the Pinetree students posed.
“They were so engaging and well informed,” said an RBC official who has had been at job fairs at North Vancouver high schools, as well as Simon Fraser University and University of BC.
“We were pleasantly surprised. They were eager to talk to us to see what’s available right now and after graduation.”
“We love to get out to talk with the youth,” an Amazon official added. “They want to know what positions we have, what our salaries and benefits are and how they can rise on the corporate ladder.”
In turn, Amazon said it also wanted to share its record as a Equity, Diversity and Inclusive employer, and as a company that welcomed international students.
On April 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., WorkBC will host a Diverse Abilities Hiring Fair for people with disabilities; that event will be held at the Evergreen Cultural Centre (1205 Pinetree Way).
