Job Gym ran a Speed Leads event in both Welland and Fort Erie Wednesday, with more than 450 job postings for people to apply to.

Speed Leads gives job-seekers the chance to check out local job postings with the support and help of the employment councillors and job developers at Job Gym. Visitors look at the postings, hand in a list of jobs that they are qualified for and interested in, along with their resumes, and the team at Job Gym puts in their applications to the employers.

“I think it’s pretty good, it gives a good selection of jobs out here,” said Paul Marion, who was at the event looking for a job in skilled trades.

Amanda Channon, job developer at Job Gym, said that the organization runs the Speed Leads on an as-needed basis.

“We have a surplus of opportunities that we needed to fill,” Channon said.

The job board currently has more than 400 listings, and Channon said it’s a good mix of full-time permanent positions and seasonal or part-time jobs.

“I can tell you that we do see a blend of it, and I think that when looking over the opportunities that we’re advertising in Speed Leads you’ll see both,” Channon said.

Source: Welland Tribune

Staff at Job Gym sites in Fort Erie and Welland helped job seekers by taking the work out of applying for employment.

Eighty job seekers attended the Job Gym’s Speed Leads event Wednesday in Fort Erie and more than 100 people visited the Welland site between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

People from all walks of life including students and seniors attended the event to find the right employment opportunity for themselves.

The goal of the event was to help streamline the process for both employeers and job hunters.

“(Speed Leads) is a relatively new idea and I don’t know if it will ever completely replace a job fair but a large number of employers are looking for people and sometimes they don’t get a lot of exposure.”

When job hunters entered through the doors of the job gym, they were given an application to fill out with questions to determine what types of jobs they are interested in.

“If they are qualified, we take their resume, scan it and apply to the jobs for them,” said employment counsellor Chris Sergnese.

Sergnese said the Fort Erie site offered 450 positions from 139 employers. All of the employment opportunities, which included jobs in trades, the food industry, manufacturing, administration, hospitality, health care, customer service and retail, were neatly displayed on boards for job seekers to search.

“If you’re looking to change your situation, you can’t go wrong by just walking in the door.”

Source: Fort Erie Times