Partnerships for Employment Job Fair marks 30 years of connecting students, graduates and employers

Sept. 30, 2024

Thousands of post-secondary students and graduates brought their resumes, career plans and dreams for the future to Waterloo’s RIM Park on Sept. 25 for the Partnerships for Employment Job Fair. It was the 30th anniversary of the biannual fair, which has connected 170,000 students and alumni with more than 10,600 employers during its history.

The largest job fair of its kind in Canada, the event is a partnership between Wilfrid Laurier University, Conestoga College, the University of Guelph and University of Waterloo and is open to students and alumni of those institutions.

Jan Basso, Wilfrid Laurier University’s assistant vice-president of Experiential Learning and Career Development, is a co-founder of the event and has been involved every year since its inception.

“As local post-secondary institutions, our career services offices came together as Partnerships for Employment in 1994 in the collaborative, enterprising spirit for which this region is known,” says Basso.

That first event featured 54 employers. Thirty years later, the fall 2024 event welcomed 180 employers and thousands of students and graduates, with students bussed in from 10 campus locations including Brantford, Kitchener, Waterloo, Milton, Cambridge and Guelph.

“The success and longevity of the job fair is a testament to the quality of our students and graduates,” says Basso. “They are skilled, engaged and ready to drive Ontario’s economic growth and prosperity in the years to come.”

Laurier President and Vice-Chancellor Deborah MacLatchy and Vice-President of Student Affairs David McMurray attended the event along with senior leaders from partner institutions and local elected officials, including Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife, Kitchener Centre MPP Aislinn Clancy and Waterloo Region Chair Karen Redman.

Master of Education student Bethany Correia works full-time in Laurier’s Career Centre and was at the job fair to support students and employers.

“This is a great opportunity for job seekers to see what’s out there and how many different industries are hiring in this region,” says Correia. “If you are a Computer Science student, you don’t only have to look at information technology companies. Any organization in any industry can be hiring for your skillset.”

Laurier students attending the fair found much to explore. They included Dana Ewaskiw, a Bachelor of Business Administration student interested in marketing and social media opportunities at a major brand, and Eugene Anekwe, a Political Science and French student who plans a career in law.

Anekwe, who says he has wanted to be a judge for as long as he can remember, attended the fair to seek out co-op opportunities.

“I’d like to get involved in education or public policy,” Anekwe says. “Anything where I can make positive change.”

According to a 2024 student survey, 86% of Laurier students engage with the university’s career centre. Career planning is an integral part of the Laurier experience that begins in a student’s first year, and alumni have lifetime access to career services.

Laurier’s 2023 graduate outcomes survey indicates a 96% placement rate for graduates, with more than 71% employed, 23% pursuing further education and the remainder reporting other activities such as travelling.