CNE CEO Mark Holland spoke with CP24 about the importance of the in-person meetings as the job fair returns with organizers looking to fill 5,000 seasonal posit
Thousands of jobseekers are expected to make their way to the Enercare Centre on Wednesday for the Canadian National Exhibition’s (CNE) annual job fair.
More than 700 jobs are up for grabs, organizers say, including cashiers, retail associates, game attendants, food service and cleaning staff, midway operators, and informational guides.
The popular hiring event will get underway at 11 a.m.
CNE job fair Job applicants attend the CNE job fair in Toronto on July 31, 2024. (CP24/Ken Enlow)
So far this year, the CNE says it has received upwards of 50,000 job applications online and has already hired for more than 1,300 jobs directly.
Partner organizations, companies hiring
Aside from recruiting candidates to work directly and indirectly at The Ex, Wednesday’s job fair will also be an opportunity for those looking for work to apply for jobs from like-minded community partners, including Youth Employment Resources, Metrolinx, the Royal Ontario Museum, the YMCA of Greater Toronto, and the Toronto Port Authority, among others.
Organizers say career opportunities may be available beyond the 18-days of the fair for positions like museum tour guides, promotions ambassadors, bus station attendants, and bus drivers as well as skilled trades such as welders, mechanics, and marine engineers.
CNE Job Fair Jobseekers line up at a previous CNE Job Fair.
Also new this year, the CNE is partnering with various community employment services, including the City of Toronto, to provide young people with resources like job training, access to networking events, job search assistance, resume writing and interview skills, career guidance, and more “to help find meaningful employment.”
“The CNE team will also be providing FREE on-site resume headshot photo sessions (to be taken digitally by professional CNE photographer using participants’ personal devices such as cell phone),” organizers said in a news release.
All of this is being done in an effort to help young people find jobs. In April, Toronto’s youth unemployment peaked at 16.8 per cent, meaning 1 in 5 young people aged 15 to 24 could not find work.
The Ex hires 5,000 people annually
In total, more than 5,000 people will be hired for this year’s CNE, which is one of the largest seasonal youth employers in the Greater Toronto Area.
Speaking with CP24 on Monday evening, CEO Mark Holland said jobseekers should come to Wednesday’s job fair with “energy and enthusiasm.”
“Bring your best self, bring full of energy. You know, The Ex is a place where people come to have fun and get away from the travails of everyday life, and so we’re looking for people who are bringing that energy, that excitement, that passion, that enthusiasm,” he said.
“You know, as I say, we’re a not-for-profit. We take our job of entertaining and telling the Canadian story really seriously, and so we’re looking for people with that energy to come and help be part of our team.”
CNE CEO Mark Holland CNE CEO Mark Holland chats with CP24 on July 27.
The CNE CEO noted that Wednesday’s event is more than just a simple job fair.
“People can come, young people can come, see what careers are available, get advice on how to brush up their resume, take a picture,” he said.
“So it’s not just jobs. It’s also job advice and really one of the biggest job fairs that is in the city. And it’s part of the responsibility we think we have as a not-for-profit, as one of the leading employers of youth in the GTA, to not just connect youth to jobs, but also the resources.”
Holland said this is the first time that the CNE’s yearly job fair is being opened up to other employers, adding they hope it will continue in this new format going forward.
“We wanted to really expand it this year, make sure that it’s more than just the CNE. (We want to) use this platform as a place for young people to find jobs and find resources that are beyond just the CNE,” he said, calling it an opportunity for young jobseekers to get “resources (they) need to be successful.”
Holland went on to say that CNE is where thousands of people got their first “real” job.
“You know, one of the great things as a CEO is going around the city and hearing how many folks in the GTA had their first job at the CNE,” he said.
“You know we hire more than 5,000 people in total, directly and indirectly, and it’s where so many people get their first job and their first start.”
CNE-1.4208835 CNE
Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to pre-register online for Wednesday’s job fair. In-person walk-ins are welcome, but they will be subject to capacity, the CNE said.
