MOOSE JAW — Saskatchewan Polytechnic welcomed hundreds of students and soon-to-be graduates to its annual career fair hosted by the school’s Student Employment Services and sponsored by the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and Viterra on Feb. 5.
“We hosted a career fair because it’s an excellent opportunity for students to practice their networking skills, meet with professionals in their field, and really just learn more about potential career paths and opportunities…,” explained Laura Sperlie, director of strategic enrolment management at Sask. Polytech.
“Our Sask. Polytechnic has a 96 per cent employment rate (after graduation), so we also view (this career fair) as a really exciting opportunity for employers to meet some potential employees down the road.”
The career fair, held in February or March across all four campuses, follows fall workshops and webinars designed to enhance students’ job-readiness skills.
The career fair is exclusive to Sask. Polytech students and Sperlie described this as “one of the perks of being a student with us,” adding that it helps students gain confidence. Additionally, the school hosts mini career fairs, virtual presentations, and lunchtime learning opportunities throughout the semester to help students connect with a career.
“I would say that, for every program that we offer here, there’s some potential employers here today that students can connect with,” she said.
Another perk is educating students on a wide range of employment opportunities that may have been overlooked. “If you think about health care, they might need health care students, but they also might need cooks or disability youth workers,” Sperlie explained.
This realization was one of the main lessons that business diploma students Gurleen Sandhu and Krutika Jadha received during the fair.
“In my mind it was just SaskPower, SGI, and all those (common) companies that I was focusing on,” Jadha said. “But, looking here…, I can move towards other companies as well, and not just those two or three companies that I (originally) knew about.”
The two students pointed to a nearby booth representing Nutrien. Despite being an agriculture-based employer, they learned that Nutrien — and others in the sector — are also hiring marketing managers, human resource workers, and other roles outside of agriculture.
One employer was Green Infrastructure Partners (GIP) represented by survey manager Tyler Wilson and quality control manager Kyle Fallon. Returning for the second year, GIP is a civic contractor specializing in roadway and heavy civil contracts. Both representatives spoke well about the Sask. Polytech job placement program.
“Last year we hired a bachelor construction management student out of the Regina (Sask. Polytech) campus and she was absolutely excellent,” Fallon said. “We do quite a few of these career fairs, and Sask. Polytech puts on one of the best ones… (Students) come and talk to the employers (and) they have very good questions; they’re very well prepared.”
One of the event’s sponsors, RBC, was represented by Leighton Smith, community manager of the Moose Jaw region.
“This is a testament to the great work that Sask. Polytech does,” he said. “The students that are coming here are ready for the workforce. You see a lot of institutions where, okay, you have the education, but maybe you don’t have the actual soft skills… (that an) employer would be looking for... With these folks, a lot of them have that.”
To learn more about Sask. Polytech and its range of programs or to reach out as an employer for future career fair opportunities visit SaskPolytech.ca.
The Sask. Polytech Campus in Moose Jaw is located at 600 Saskatchewan Street West.
