June 2, 2008

Labour Recruitment

Vancouver Regional Construction Association considers recruiting in United Kingdom

Richard Gilbert

staff writer

The Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) is trying to determine if its membership is interested in recruiting workers from Merrie Olde England.

The association is considering attending a job fair, which focuses on attracting skilled trades people who are already planning to move to Canada.

Working In Ltd. is a UK recruitment firm that sources skilled professionals for Canadian businesses.

The company owns and operates Opportunities Expos, which is a job fair being held in Leeds on June 21-22 and in London on June 28-29.

The VRCA sent out an e-mail to its members recently to find who would be interested in attending the job fair that will target people in a range of industries, including construction.

“The supply of skilled labour continues to be a big issue to contractors in B.C.,” said Keith Sashaw, VRCA president.

“We have had discussions with the producer of a job fair in England and sent out an e-mail to our members to gauge the level of interest. There are four to five members who are interested in attending at this time.”

Working In Ltd. has a website called Workingin.com, which is one of the only job websites dedicated to helping businesses in Canada, Australia and New Zealand source skilled workers and professionals from the UK.

The website drives at least 40 per cent of the expo traffic, so companies and organisations can use Working In to start conversations and pre-screen prospective candidates before the expo.

All pre-registered visitors are informed of each new company and every vacancy, so they can see in advance which companies/vacancies they are interested in and/or qualified for.

According to the company website more than 5,600 people had registered for the events.

They estimate a final attendance in excess of 10,000 people.

“This is a targeted career fair specifically for those who want to work in Canada. The organizer does a good job looking at all the skill sets of the participants,” Sashaw said.

According to the VRCA, statistics from previous events have an average of 25 per cent ready to move immediately and more than 65 per cent within six months.

In addition, there will be a strong focus on Canada in the lead up to the event.

The two-day Canada Day festival in Trafalgar Square begins the day after the London show.

Migration specialists, real estate agents and shipping companies will also be at the event to offer advice that will help prospective candidates understand the relocation process.

So far, the VRCA is contacting members to find out who is interested in attending the job fair.

For more information about the initiative, contact Keith Sashaw at 604-294-3766 or by email at ksashaw@vrca.bc.ca.

Print | Email | Comment