Summer opportunities shine at Humber’s job fair

Feb 5, 2015 | News

Humber Summer Job Fair (Alex Fretes/Humber News)

Humber Summer Job Fair (Alejandra Fretes/Humber News)

By Alejandra Fretes 

Humber North campus hosted the annual summer job fair in the student centre with over 30 employers looking for desirable applicants.

Nearly 17 per cent of full-time postsecondary students are unemployed, according to Stats Canada.  Humber’s career centre hopes to eliminate some of the stress behind job-hunting for their students by grouping together some potential employment opportunities.

“It’s college-wide, so all students are invited to come,” said Christine Colosimo, a career advisor at Humber. “We have employers from all areas, part-time, full-time, co-op, and there’s a volunteer fair as well.”

Employers included Blinds To Go, clothing companies H&M, and Cintas, along with volunteering opportunities with the Harbourfront Centre.

“We have about 500 plus volunteers, which is about 7,000 shifts a year,” said Dorothy Szczurek, assistant volunteer coordinator at the Harbourfront Centre.

Although it isn’t a paid job, the perks of volunteering with the notable arts and cultural centre are quite impressive.

Volunteers are offered two TTC tokens per shift for Toronto commuters, free visits to the CN Tower, and discounted tickets to several of the city’s museums.

“(Student) volunteers stay along for one year, and they do so because they want a reference letter. We have a lot of companies calling for references, and we do them,” said Szczurek. “We do very well. I think (our centre) is well respected in arts and culture.”

The centre had received 40 applicants in just over an hour since the job fair started.

Unemployment rates have remained consistently higher among full-time students over the last six years compared to the previous decade, said the Stats Canada website. This makes it more difficult for students to get rid of their debt.

“It seems to be more based towards graduate students just from who we’ve been talking to,” said Abalan Mohns, first-year media communications student at Humber College. “I’m not quite there yet, but I can see how it would be helpful for some people not knowing which direction to go in.”

The Humber College Career Centre will be hosting an additional Summer Job Fair at the Lakeshore campus on Thursday February 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in room L1017.