Career & Employment Expo held at Siksika Nation a success

Manny Everett
Times Contributor

 

McBride Career Group, in partnership with Siksika Employment and Training Services (SETS), held a successful Career & Employment Expo on Oct. 29 at the Siksika Resources and Development Limited Building (SRDL).

Val Alce, McBride’s project coordinator for the Expo, was happy with the turnout, both for the participants and the vendors.
“We have been developing this event full time since Sept. 15, with a lot of phone calls and man power to make this event successful,” said Alce. “We exceeded our expectations for both the number of vendors who participated, as well as for the number of clients who attended.”
Alce was contracted for this project, which was funded by Alberta Human Services/Alberta Works. Alce then worked with a steering committee that included personal support workers and staff of SETS, Carlon Big Snake (Business Industry Liason), Jill Old Woman (Administrative Assistant) and Jenny Black Rider (SETS Staff) and said it was a great team effort on everyone’s behalf.
Every Friday since September, Alce went out to Siksika to help get resumes together, practice interview skills, run participants through mock interviews.
Alce was pleased that they had full access to the Resource room to take full advantage of the computers.
Carlon Big Snake was also commended the partnership and said that members had been working on the event in its earliest stages since May of 2014, preparing the groundwork and awaiting approval for the project.
“Alfred Many Heads, the Training Coordinator found the clients who then were referred to me. Then with the staff, I would train the clients to sell themselves,” said Big Snake.
He was then able to redirect the participants toward particular employers according to their skills.
Alce says that after the event there was a lot of positive feedback, from the vendors as well as the 125 Siksika members who registered.