The Get Experience Fair hosted by the UTM Career Centre last Wednesday provided students with an opportunity to discover employment, internship, and volunteer positions available both on and off campus.
“Our students are very academically focused, but it’s also important to gain relevant work experience before graduating,” said Michelle Atkinson, the coordinator of events and employment services at UTM’s Career Centre. “The Get Experience Fair is a great place to start.”
The fair, held in the RAWC, drew a total of 1,130 UTM students and 64 exhibitors, including businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and on-campus U of T organizations and services, among other groups.
“The purpose of the Get Experience Fair is to have students thinking about how to connect any experience […] to the larger picture of their own career development,” said Atkinson.
Haina Kim, a recent UTM graduate attending the fair, learned about the various programs and opportunities she could look into as a graduate. “I’ve looked into a couple of companies and they seem to have really great programs for students and recent graduates,” said Kim.
The on-campus opportunities exhibited at the fair included UTM’s Blackwood Gallery.
“Students can gain skills in communication, networking, marketing, and promotions,” said Juliana Zalucky, the gallery’s exhibition coordinator.
Like Kim, Alex Geddes, a fourth-year UTM student, also benefited from the Get Experience Fair. “There are a lot of different opportunities in a lot of different areas,” Geddes commented.
“Students have been given the message since high school that it’s a tough job market out there. Along with your degree, it’s important to have had experience in the workplace when it comes down to applying for jobs near graduation,” said Atkinson.
The Career Centre hosts a variety of other events throughout the year, including the Graduate and Professional Schools Fair on September 25 and the annual Summer Job Fair on January 15.
