Just under 500 job seekers went job-hunting at the Huron County Economic Development Department's job fair at the Thames Valley District School Board office in London yesterday.
Immigration Liaison for Economic Development, Kristin Crane, says they were hoping for somewhere between 300 and 500 so they were delighted that 460 job seekers participated. Crane explains they had 14 Huron County employers at the job fair ready to give interviews. As the job seekers entered the building they directed to the registration area where their general information was collected and then information about their skills and past experience.
Crane says based on that information they were matched up with an employer who was looking for the skills they had. Crane adds some people were a good match for more than one employer so they had interviews with several employers while others weren't a good match for any of the employers, but there were several service providers available to help them determine what skills and training upgrades they need to get them ready to enter the work force. Crane says the employers were generally very pleased with the number of ability of the candidates they interviewed. She says some of them had concerns that the jobs were all in Huron County but when they realized how close that was to London they said that wouldn't be an issue.
Crane says the job fair would not have been possible without the many volunteers that showed up to help and she hopes to be able to announce how many people were actually hired at the job fair in the very near future.
“So at registration general information is collected from them and then information about their skills and experience. Based on that they're matched with an employer, so we've developed a screening tool that determines who they fit well with and then there's a process of taking them to that employer.”
“A number of employers have expressed that they were pleased with the number of people that they were getting and the candidates that were coming through. Occasionally there has been a lack of knowledge about Huron County and we've had to let them know this is all Huron County employers, we're not in London – we're not far from London though.”
People gathering at the Thames Valley District School Board office in London for the Huron County Economic Development Board job fair. (Photo by Bob Montgomery)