Sask. Polytech held its annual career fair on March 13, which gave local students an opportunity to explore career opportunities and network with prospective employers relevant to their area of study.
Over 90 employers attended this year’s fair, which was sponsored by Viterra Limited and took place at the Moose Jaw campus. These employers represented a wide range of industries from mining to agriculture, municipalities, business, and construction.
“Our annual career fair is an excellent opportunity for students to enhance their networking, connect with professionals in their field, and really to gain some invaluable information about the job search and what a potential career path might look like for them,” said Laura Sperlie, the director of strategic enrolment management at Sask. Polytech.
“We bring… the employers to (the students). This allows them… to have that face-to-face conversation.”
Sperlie said the fair involved potential employers from every program currently being offered in Moose Jaw, thereby making the event relevant to the students’ success.
“It might depend on the program, but I would say every program does make concerted efforts to make sure they are connecting students with employers. It could be through large events like this… but we also host mini career fairs that are more program specific throughout the year,” Sperlie added.
“We sold out our career fair for several years here in Moose Jaw, so there’s a lot of demand for employers to come in which is nice,” she said.
This year’s event also sold out early, and Sperlie said the program receives constant positive feedback.
“Students really enjoy it. They view this as their opportunity to… market themselves. We ask them to come prepared, bring their resume, do some research on the employers they’re interested in, and come prepared with questions (to get the conversation started).
“Employers really appreciate it too,” she noted. “They say they usually walk away with stacks of resumes that they will actually go through and connect with the students.”
Many students will then go on to get hired for either full-time or summer work programs.
“All our graduates are in demand,” she noted, stating that “all our programs are labour market driven.”
Don and Jessica Botkin with W.F. Botkin were one of the employers who attended the fair.
“This is our first career fair, so we’re just kind of feeling things out,” Don said. Currently, W.F. Botkin is hiring heavy equipment operators, surveyors, mechanics, and technicians. He said there have been a few entry-level applications for summer employment so far.
“We find that name recognition goes a long way,” added David Tratch with WaterMark Consulting Ltd.
When a student visited Tratch’s booth, it’s because they’re studying a program relevant to employment at WaterMark such as civil and environmental engineering.
“What we need is that one magic student,” Tratch noted.
“We find that Sask. Polytech is a great training ground for teaching students how to think (about job-specific concepts), and we can teach them the skillset we specifically need (once they’re hired).”
Tratch’s assistant, Rafael, was a former Sask. Polytech student and was hired by WaterMark. “In… December I graduated, and in January I started (my career) right away. That’s one of the reasons why I’m here…
“I have only good things to say about the program… You’re prepared to be out there, and you know what to expect,” Rafael explained.
Two students who attended the fair, Bincy Thomas and Kushala Pillari, said it was very helpful.
“To be honest, I didn’t know half of these companies before (this career fair),” Thomas admitted.
Both students said they found employers relevant to their field of study, which is the newly offered entrepreneurship program at the school.
“I’m (not) confident we’ll land a job from here (today), but we get to know what options are available for us after graduation,” Thomas said.
The Student Employment Services team further helps students build a resume, cover letter, and helps them prepare for job interviews.
“A lot of our graduates already have a job set up and ready to go before they’re even done their program,” Sperlie said.
For information about fall programming, visit SaskPolytech.ca.
