With a youth unemployment rate of 22.4% in Windsor, one local call centre is trying to dial that down by hiring 300 part-time students.
Sutherland Global in downtown Windsor is creating a hip work environment for the incoming University of Windsor and St. Clair College students.
Head of Canadian operations Lori Atkinson says the jobs will be filled over the next three months.
“Our first 50 people (will) start training next weekend. They will go into full production starting November 9,” she says. “Two weeks later we have a plan to hire another 80 people and then by Christmas time we will be up to about 300."
Students will start out at $12 or $13/hr.
A job fair at the university was met with a "tremendous response" on Thursday. Another one will be held Tuesday at St. Clair College's main campus between 10am-5pm. Anyone interested can also apply in-person at 500 Ouellette Ave. or online.
The traditional cubical office space you'd expect is being transformed into a fun space to appeal to the younger employees. There will be a lounge with video games, a ping pong table, espresso bar and study space.
After these new hires, Sutherland Global in Windsor will employ about 1,500 people, making it the largest call centre in North America. Not including the 300 student jobs, full-time employees make up 98% of the workforce.
In addition, the company says it will be hiring about 20 full-time management positions to oversee the students.
The name of the new client is being kept confidential, but they say it’s a tech company from Silicon Valley. Company officials compare it to Google or Uber in terms of its tech innovation.