CHAMBER PARTNERS WITH PROVINCE TO HOST ALL NATIONS JOB FAIR

Boosting Aboriginal Employment the Focus for More Than 50 Employers

With the support of the Ministry of Economy, the Regina & District Chamber of Commerce is helping more than 50 employers reach out to those seeking work in one of the hottest economies in the country.

The All Nations Job Fair takes place on November 28, 2012, at Evraz Place in Regina. While everyone is welcome to attend, a key objective of the event is to make Aboriginal people aware of the job opportunities and skills training available in the area.

Increasing Aboriginal participation in the economy is one of the goals outlined in The Saskatchewan Plan for Growth: Vision 2020 and Beyond, released by Premier Brad Wall last month.

The government is undertaking a number of initiatives to meet this objective, including investing record amounts of money in post-secondary and skills training for Aboriginal people and boosting support for Adult Basic Education and literacy programs.

"I applaud the Regina & District Chamber of Commerce for leading the All Nations Job Fair," Legislative Secretary to the Premier for First Nations Engagement Rob Norris said. "I also commend the partners who are working together to directly connect Saskatchewan young people - especially from our First Nations and Métis communities - to skills training and career opportunities in the new Saskatchewan."

"Addressing the shortage of labour is the number one objective," Regina & District Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer John Hopkins said. "Our approach is multi-pronged. First and foremost we must engage Aboriginal people like never before, continue to engage our youth, attract talent nationally, engage retirees locally as well as to attract skilled workers and professionals from abroad. The career fair addresses the most important aspect of the strategy which is the attraction and retention of our people at home."

Taking part in the career fair will be companies operating in a range of industries, including construction, financial services, tourism and hospitality, manufacturing and information technology.

SaskPower, SaskTel, SaskEnergy and SGI are among the public sector employers participating.

The Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST), Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT), the Regina Skills and Trades Centre, the Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission and the University of Regina will be on hand to provide information regarding training.

The career fair kicks off with a luncheon at Queensbury Centre, which goes from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The career fair will take place in Banner Hall and the Ag-Ex Pavilion at Evraz Place and will run from 1:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Additional details about the event are available at the RDCC website at www.reginachamber.com.

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For more information, contact:

John Hopkins
Regina & District Chamber of Commerce
Regina
Phone: 306-757-4641
Cell: 306-533-6464

James Parker
Executive Council
Regina
Phone: 306-787-1321
Cell: 306537-5492