Sudbury news: One-stop shopping for job seekers

It’s another tool in the toolbox for job seekers, a one-stop resource that lists training opportunities and events all in one location.

“What we were seeing over the last couple of years was that a lot of people just weren’t aware of the different kind of things that were going on,” said Reggie Caverson, executive director of Workforce Planning for Sudbury and Manitoulin.

“We saw registrations were sometimes low for really good events or training opportunities … We just wanted to look at a better way of coordinating the information.”

A few weeks ago, the group launched an online calendar focusing on training opportunities, courses and job fairs.

It’s designed to make things easier on employers and job searchers by bringing opportunities from all across the city to one location.

“It will tell you how long the activity is, who’s hosting it, there’s more detailed information when you click on the title of the event and you’ll find out whether there’s a cost, if you’re eligible, a number of different things so you can see if it’s something you want to take or are interested in,” said Caverson.

The new tool comes as the number of jobs being posted online is on the rise, especially in Greater Sudbury.

“We’re finding that the biggest uptick right now is in Greater Sudbury, though we do collect data from Manitoulin and the Sudbury District, as well,” she said.

“We do see a lot of sales and services jobs, we see a lot of jobs in the trades, equipment operators, as well as business finance and admin.”

As job opportunities increase, the unemployment rate for the city is in good shape, according to Spark Employment Services in Sudbury.

“The unemployment rate is continuously decreasing,” said Chantal Makela, Spark Employment Services CEO.

“We are seeing about a 3.5 (per cent) unemployment rate as of last month. What that means is there are few job seekers and plenty of opportunities. There is definitely a high demand for employees.”

Right now, Spark Employment Services has two opportunities listed on Workforce Planning’s new calendar.

“Workforce Planning does fabulous work,” Makela said.

“This is a great platform, an essential platform that is free for all job seekers and employers to access and see what is available in the community.”