“It was wonderful to see more than 200 attendees at our career fair this year,” said Anita Budisa-Bonneau, NIC’s coordinator, work integrated education. “It’s a great opportunity for students and job seekers to connect with employers, see what trends are out there in the job market and get career advice from professionals who work in the field they’re interested in.”
The fair offered employers a chance to raise awareness of the job opportunities in their field.
“Because we’re an island-based company, and we really support the community, it’s great for us to show some awareness and support,” said Robert Buckley, Branch Manager at Coastal Community Credit Union. “I knew a lot of the participants would be students and what better than to get their education here and then maybe join an island-based company.”
Students attending the fair found the face-to-face interaction, the ability to ask employers questions and follow-up on previous interactions invaluable in their job search.
“Just talking to employers, seeing if they have any positions and any recommendations that they’d have for me for work, because a lot of them were in my position before,” said Oliver Simonds, who is studying accounting at NIC. “I like being able to come and meet people who are similarly inclined to me and have experience in the work force giving me ideas on what I can do to get out there myself.”
The fair featured more than 35 of the region’s top employers, including a new hotel set to open in Port Hardy.
“We will be opening our new First Nations-themed hotel shortly,” said Shannon Henderson, with the Kwa’lilas Hotel. “We will be looking for a lot of new members. We are opening a new restaurant and a new bar in the new hotel, so we will be looking for a lot of new employees.”
This year’s event also included two informative talks on women-in-tech and how to network.
“We’re always looking for ways to add value for students with events like these,” said Budisa-Bonneau. “Hearing Innovation Island’s Paris Gaudet tell her story as a woman working in the tech industry was insightful and inspirational. Mary Crowley is an experienced coach who provided students with important tips and strategies that they can carry with them into the next stage of their career development. I’ve already started brainstorming about who we might bring in next year.”
If you missed the career fair, but are interested in hiring an intern or co-op student, contact Anita Budisa-Bonneau at 250-334-5007 or simply email your job description to studentemployment@nic.bc.ca.
Media Contact
Christiana Wiens
Media Liaison, North Island College
250-334-5280 | M. 250-218-4097
christiana.wiens@nic.bc.ca
