Small town Saskatchewan is Yorkton no longer, as the city is quickly gaining exposure across the country and beyond.
Earlier this month two members from the city's administration department - Roy Lanaway, Communications, and Faisal Anwar, Economic Development Officer - made the trek to Toronto to attend the 2014 National Job Fair and Training Expo. Attended annually by thousands of job seekers and employers from across the nation the event serves to stimulate employment and showcase opportunities.
This year there was a Yorkton booth in the building and according to our local representatives, the reception was extremely positive with more than 800 attendees taking the time to see what this city has to offer and to respond to a variety of surveys.
Recent economic growth has led to a shortage of workers in the Yorkton area - both skilled and unskilled - and Lanaway says according to the business community and stats, there are about 1,000 jobs to fill. The idea behind the Toronto trip was to attract capable employees, along with their families, to this area to live, work and settle.
Lanaway and Anwar have been working for the better part of the last year to put together a concept and a package to bring with them to Toronto and following a post job fair presentation to the city's economic development committee, it was unanimous they did an excellent job.
Before heading to the fair the pair put together a comprehensive package that included video, written material, photos, testimonials and tech related add ins. Also taken along as a helpful tool that lent credence to the need for workers in this area were current Saskjobs postings which indeed confirm there at least 1,000 jobs available in this area. It's predicted that number will grow as Yorkton continues to expand in the next three to five years.
The hope says Lanaway, was through attending the job fair, bridges could be built and a connection could be made so residents in the Ontario area looking for work, many of whom are newly settled immigrants, would view Yorkton as a viable opportunity. The Toronto area is basically an untapped area when it comes to capable workers adds Lanaway.
After completing surveys with as many competent workers as possible, and leaving behind a detailed image of what Yorkton has to offer, Lanaway and Anwar hope to connect with the local business community and fill the gaps.
"What we're aiming to do is to get this information out to the business community as quickly as we can... it will be up to them to follow and to make direct contact with those they think may be suitable employees...
"What we said to the people there (Toronto) is this is one additional method of getting your foot in the door for a potential job rather than just sending out your resume cold call... as all of know, trying to find a job is not an easy thing..."
There is a tracking mechanism in place so the city will be able to gage the success of the project down the road when it's determined how many of the workers that were reached out to, successfully relocate.
Lanaway and Anwar say they hope this fair and initiative is just the beginning of putting Yorkton on the map as a desirable place in which live, work and invest.
"This really was an experiment... no one knew what to expect. When Faisal and I got there we had no idea what to expect... we were overwhelmed by the response and I think given the response that we had... we will have a lot more involvement from the business community..."
While there were travel expenses involved all on the economic development committee agreed they were well worth it given the end result.
In addition to highlighting Yorkton afar, the city is left with a comprehensive marketing package that can updated annually, shared and used for years to come as a marketing tool. Included in it is a magazine type Community Profile that speaks to all Yorkton has to offer. There are jobs, the city is multi-culturally friendly, there are recreational opportunities, housing, a reasonable cost of living, policing, amenities, quality health care and many support networks.
"These materials will be very useful for any business in this community to use for their own recruitment efforts... that's what it was all about."
In addition to being available in print form, Lanaway says "It's all available electronically so anyone can access it..."
Going forward the plan is to make a presentation to the Yorkton Chamber of Commerce and to look at further opportunities to shine Yorkton in a positive light.
