Hundreds of Ukrainian newcomers handed out resumes to employers during a job fair Saturday at a church in Calgary.
The event, organized jointly by the Center for Newcomers and the Ukrainian Orthodox Council of St. Vladimir, proved to be successful for both job seekers and employers.
“It’s fantastic. The turnout is incredible,” said Kelly Ernst, vice president of vulnerable groups at the Newcomer Center. He said more than 400 newcomers and 30 employers attended the event.
“The interaction that is happening inside right now is just extremely phenomenal,” Ernst said.
The event aimed to help Ukrainian newcomers to Calgary find jobs ranging from office administration to retail.
For some adult immigrants, such as Olha Ahmedova, who has only been in Canada for a month, one of the biggest obstacles to finding a job in Calgary is the language barrier. There is also the issue that years of education should be taught.
Olha Ahmedova worked as a nurse in Ukraine for more than 20 years before coming to Canada. (Nick Brizuela / CBC)
Back in Kyiv, Ahmedova was a head nurse with more than 20 years of experience. But due to differences between education systems here and in Ukraine, Ahmedova is not qualified to work as a nurse in Canada.
“She still wants to keep doing her job, but she obviously can’t,” Ahmedova said through an interpreter.
“She can’t study for another seven years. So he’s just trying to find something else right now. But she could contribute as a nurse.
Long way to Canada
Although the current situation is suffocating for many Ukrainians, newcomer Hana Chepurda of Kyiv is optimistic about the future. Chepurda attended a job fair on Saturday looking for a job in an office.
Chepurda said she worked as an economist for about seven years before being forced to leave her homeland.
“It was a difficult way to leave Ukraine,” she said.
Chepurda said she ran away from home in early March and traveled through several countries in Europe – Romania, Poland, Austria and Ireland – before arriving in Calgary.
Hannah Chepurda, a Ukrainian newcomer to Canada, attends a job fair at the Ukrainian Orthodox Council of Sts. Vladimir on Saturday in search of work in the office administration. (Nick Brizuela / CBC)
Although he is now here in Canada, Chepurda said he hopes to reunite with his family in Ukraine when better times come.
“I dream about it because I miss it so much.”
A successful event for employers
Cole Milen, general manager of Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire, said the job market was very successful.
“The turnout was huge. It was a bit of an attack, to be honest,” he said.
Millen said the Sheraton had hired 12 new employees and a receptionist at the job fair. He said that proficiency in English is not a huge barrier for certain jobs as a hotel room employee, as basic communication is all that is needed.
“The desire to work, the positive attitude, the good smile will take you very, very far with us,” said Milen.
More than 400 newcomers attended the Ukrainian labor exchange in Calgary on Saturday. (Nick Brizuela / CBC)
According to Millen, the success of the job fair goes beyond simply providing jobs for newcomers.
“It’s obviously a terrible tragedy that a lot of these people have had to deal with, so if we can help them land and settle in Calgary, we’re very happy to be able to do that.”
Add Comment