More than 1,400 students and alumni attended the UTM Career Centre’s “Get Hired” job fair last Wednesday. Over 65 companies and organizations were present at the fair, including start-up companies new to the fair this year.
“The uptake for summer jobs [is] pretty steady,” says Michelle Atkinson, the events and employment services coordinator at the UTM Career Centre. She noted that at least 75 percent of companies present were seeking students for summer internships or paid jobs.
Employment opportunities included seasonal employment at the Royal Bank of Canada or Statistics Canada, while other available opportunities allowed students to develop careers in law enforcement with the RCMP or gain teaching experience.
According to Atkinson, the fair goes beyond simply finding jobs. “If you don’t have an idea of what you want to do, or would like to dip your toe into a different area, look at these types of jobs as skill development,” she said.
Atkinson also emphasized that the variety of companies and opportunities on display at the fair were purposely brought to offer a range of opportunities to students. Among the opportunities, the fair also included approximately 15 start-up companies attending the fair for the first time.
Bagas Wicaksono, a second-year digital enterprise management student, noticed the additions and felt it was “cool to see start-ups”, but felt that the fair should have extended longer than one day to provide a better experience.
According to Atkinson, the Career Centre has made attempts to increase availability of the fair, and even increased the hours this year. However, the centre is always looking for more feedback from participants for upcoming years.
“We try to make it accessible to everyone—students and employers,” said Atkinson.
