Cloverdale鈥檚 upcoming Black Press Extreme Education and Career Fair will help job seekers, students and employers make the right connections, and help set them up for strong futures within the competitive local economy.
The City of Surrey is one of the fastest-growing cities in the province. With more than half a million residents, and a diverse, young demographic, Surrey is positioning itself as a potential leader in new and emerging industries.
According to city councillor Allison Patton, the two fastest-growing industries predicted for Surrey over the next decade are the health tech and high tech industries.
Part of the challenge, for both the City of Surrey and other employers, is connecting with and hiring local talent.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hearing from local employers that they do want to hire local talent, closer to home, and this [career fair] is a way for them to do that,鈥� Patton told Black Press Media.
Both the City of Surrey and the province of B.C. are facing skill shortages in certain fields, she noted, including the manufacturing, information technology and retail industries.
So being able to support an event that brings together education, where people can acquire skill sets, and employers, where you can use those skill sets to create a career, is something that the City of Surrey loves, she said.
^ Check out these pictures from last fall鈥檚 Black Press Extreme Education and Career Fair, held at the Cloverdale Agriplex.
An event that brings together educational institutions and career opportunities is exactly what鈥檚 needed, she said.
鈥淧airing them together can help solve some of these challenges,鈥� said Patton, 鈥渁nd that鈥檚 what the City of Surrey is particularly excited about for this fair.鈥�
The upcoming Black Press Extreme Education and Career Fair, which will be held in Cloverdale on April 25, will feature a number of Surrey-based tech companies, she noted, including , ., and .
As a longtime business owner herself, Patton knows that it can be difficult to find the right people to do the right job.
Her advice for job seekers? It鈥檚 all about the hustle.
鈥淚 think that hustle is very important,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd what I mean by that is having the right attitude, pro-activity, willingness to learn new things and participate in the company.
鈥淓ven if the person might be without the right experience, if they have the right attitude, the right energy, they will be able to succeed wherever they go,鈥� she said.
Whether you鈥檙e looking for a job or to change your career, whether you鈥檙e a student or a lifelong learner, you鈥檙e welcome to come on down to the upcoming Black Press Extreme Education and Career Fair in Cloverdale.
Admission is free, and a wide variety of educational institutions and companies will be on site to provide information, answer questions, and network with attendees.
Remember 鈥� dress for success and bring a resume.
The fair will be held on Thursday, April 25, from 1 to 6 p.m. at the Cloverdale Agriplex, located at 17798 62 Ave on the Cloverdale Fairgrounds.
Check out to see which post-secondary institutions and employers are planning to attend the fair. For more information on the event, email koconnor@bpdigital.ca or call 1-855-678-7833.
