“The job fair was awesome”: Durham College job fairs draw rave reviews from attendees and employers

Employers were excited to connect with thousands of Durham College (DC) students and alumni as the college’s 2024 job fairs drew an exceptional crowd.

The DC and Ontario Tech Job Fair was held at the Oshawa campus on February 1 with more than 2,800 people attending and more than 90 employers eager to hire for full-time, part-time, co-op and summer jobs.

Participating employers included Ontario Power Generation, Elexicon Energy, Gerdau, Johnson Controls, the Ontario Ministry of Finance and many more.

The momentum continued to the Whitby Campus Job Fair on February 8, where more than 50 employers met with more than 500 students.

ABI Ltd., a global supplier of automated bakery equipment, attended both the Oshawa and Whitby job fairs, armed with baked goods to entice students to pop over to their booth. In Whitby, they were looking to recruit millwrights, electricians and welders for full-time and co-op positions, and their team said they were thrilled with the turnout.

“I’m an alum of Durham College, I went to the Oshawa campus, so that’s how we found out about the job fair,” said Katrina Marten, Director of Human Resources at ABI Ltd. She said her team spoke to nearly 300 students at the Whitby campus alone. “We were really happy with the turnout, surprised actually. I’m glad we brought a team or we wouldn’t have been able to keep up otherwise.”

Charles Roy, a student in the Mechanical Technician – Millwright program, attended the job fair with some of his friends and classmates and was among the students to stop by ABI’s booth.

“The job fair was awesome, I loved it,” said Roy, who was looking for co-op opportunities. “I got some good contacts and I got to speak with some potential employers. They were from big plants and they seemed very interested and we handed out resumes and they liked it.”

Trade Fundamentals student Savannah Wagner also spent time exploring the options at the Whitby Campus Job Fair.

“I really enjoyed it. I thought it was great because I am looking for a summer job and I know a lot of people who are also looking for a summer job,” she said. “All the employers were super nice and I thought they were all very informative.”

“It’s our first fair, so it was great. We’ll be back,” said Link Automotive human resources representative Raquel Manko. Her company consists of a group of auto dealerships including Clarington Nissan, Cobourg Nissan and Hunter Ford.

They spoke with more than 100 students and were particularly interested in speaking with Automotive Technician students.

“We got some resumes and made some good connections with the students, so it was wonderful,” said Manko.

Job Fair organizers were pleased to hear rave reviews of the event.

“The success of this year’s job fairs re-enforces that our market-driven programs equip students with the skills and hands-on experience employers are seeking,” said Lucy Romao Vandepol, Interim Director, Student and Career Development. “We were excited to help connect thousands of DC students with employers eager to meet them and help them take the next steps in their career where they’ll continue to lead the way.”

Looking for career and job information? Visit DC’s Hired portal to access job postings, upcoming job fairs and career tips including resume writing, interviewing and much more.