Youth collective job fair helps students find work

A job fair for youth held Saturday in Virgil presented opportunities for summer and part-time employment in a variety of sectors, and at least one teen went home having secured a job.

The Niagara-on-the-Lake Youth Collective Drop-In Job Fair, held at Cornerstone Community Church youth campus on Niagara Stone Road, had about 25 students drop by looking for work opportunities and networking with local businesses.

Organizers of the job fair were delighted with the range of opportunities they were able to present.

Not all businesses were there to hire: first stop on arriving at the job fair was with an expert who offered help filling out a resume and providing tips on how to handle job interviews.

Niagara College had a representative on-hand to talk about students’ goals for future employment, how to gain skills in part-time and summer jobs that might help them reach their goals, and what post-secondary programs could get them there.

Meghan Milner grew up in NOTL, and understands the range of opportunities in town available for students looking for work. She is a career coach working with Flybits, a Toronto company specializing in technology. As students arrived, they could spend a few minutes with her, showing them how to “rock their resume” and “ace their interview,” as well as telling them to reach out to her through email if they have more questions or need support.

The NOTL Minor Soccer Club was also represented, hoping to hire referees for the upcoming season. Lucas Michlik, a coach and head referee for the club, and board member Rick Amodeo explained the club needs about 12 for the season, and depending on the age group they are refereeing, they could earn up to $30 an hour. Plus, he adds,“it’s good to have on a resume.”

He says he really enjoyed and valued his eight years as a coach and referee with the club. “That’s probably why I decided to be a teacher.”

Michlik has been credited with developing a core of young soccer officials, which, as Amodeo explains, is important, so that as they get older, the club has younger ones ready to take their place.

Cheryl Chmay, manager at the Tim Hortons in Virgil, and franchisee owner Lori Paterson, were conducting interviews for part-time and seasonal employees from Grade 9 and up.

“We like to train them and keep them through high school,” said Paterson. “We have about six now, and half of them are ready to to to university or college. We have to hire to replenish them. And as they get older, getting ready for post-secondary education, their studies get more demanding, so they need time off.”

“These jobs are considered part-time all year round, not seasonal,” adds Chmay. “We’re always busy.”

Paterson explained that they were taking resumes and conducting brief interviews at the job fair, and in the coming weeks “we will invite all who are interested for an in-depth interview. Also, with teenagers, we also like to communicate with their parents throughout the hiring process.”

If there are any problems with issues such as transportation or hours, it’s helpful to have parents involved, she added. “If you get the parents involved, problems seem to go away.”

As the job fair wrapped up, Caroline Polgrabia, who organized the event with Brenda Ferguson, said they were thrilled with the turnout for its first year. “We are extremely grateful for the businesses who participated and the mix was just perfect. We heard that a couple of job offers where made on site and the businesses who participated all indicated it was a good turnout and felt the event was a success.”

“It was emotional watching as many of the youth presented their resume to employers for the very first time, and had the opportunity to network and learn the job interview process,” Polgrabia added. “As an organization dedicated to NOTL youth advancement, this was a perfect next step for us.”

And based on the feedback, there will be “a second event for sure, and are confident it will grow each year.”