New On-Line Service for Job Searchers

Monday, November 30, 2009 09:46 AM

Prince George, B.C.- The province has launched a new on-line service to help those looking for career and skills development information.

The new WorkBC web centre brings together a wide range of resources, giving job seekers, employers and trainers easy access to the information and tools they need.

The site will provide a variety of information:

Students can review career options, see what training, education and qualifications are required, and also look at future demand within their chosen path.
Employers will find information on hiring and retaining workers, including resources on training, skills development, sources of labour and tips on performance management.
Job seekers can review employment finding strategies, see what credentials are required for various occupations, and find links to skills upgrading programs and services.
Career planning professionals can access up-to-date labour market information tracking current and forecast demand for specific job skills,tap into sector-specific resources, such as engineering, resource and agricultural occupation profiles and tools, and access evaluation tools used to help identify specific training needs for their clients.

Other features and services will be added over the coming months as the site continues to evolve.

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Posted on Monday, November 30, 2009 09:46 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: metalman on November 30 2009 9:55 AM

So the government wants you to stay home to look for a job on your computer?
metalman.

Posted by: MrPG on November 30 2009 9:59 AM

Well, we are in the internet age after all. Any added resources for job seekers can't be a bad thing can it?

Posted by: northernjoe on November 30 2009 10:36 AM

There are some really good private sector employment sites, 2 that come to mind are Workopolis and monster.ca, there are others of course.
Not sure about the government running a similar service on the taxpayers bill, the money might be better spent on hospitals or schools... in my opinion.

Posted by: mythoughts on November 30 2009 11:25 AM

Not many, if any employers in PG advertise on Workopolis or Monster.ca for local PG jobs, maybe the higher-up jobs, but not jobs for the average worker. I think this will be great if it includes jobs for the average unemployed worker in the local community. Not all of us are able to leave town for a job.

Posted by: cheeta on November 30 2009 12:41 PM

actually a good site - for local use is wowjobs.ca I think this site pulls from all the other sites including job bank and can search by our area.

That said - the problem is that there are NO ORDINARY JOBS out there. So those unemployed folks in the 50 - 60 year age group are pretty hooped. Most of the jobs listed are skilled jobs that require alot of education. Some one 58 years old probably just wants to work. I know a few they worked at the mills from their teenage years - with less than grade 12 and now they are stuck using up all their life savings and pension money, bound for living in poverty. These sites - don't help. I even know a 48 year old fellow. He just wants to work. He doesn't think he is capable of getting grade 12 then going to college or university at his age.
The problem is there are no ordinary (mostly guy) jobs out there that pay above the poverty level.
That gov't site is a waste of tax payer money

Posted by: MrPG on November 30 2009 1:05 PM

Yes, the world has changed. The days when you could get a high paying job without a high school education are over. Stay in school kids...

Posted by: commoner on November 30 2009 1:17 PM

This isn't new. The site has been around for ages.
The province has made some updates is all. Nothing "new" about it.

Posted by: metalman on November 30 2009 1:27 PM

Sorry, I just can't swallow the notion that one should seek and apply for work by remote control. Not every employment opportunity is for a faceless corporation or high tech outfit that deals more in data than in people. Some companies like to have prospective employees show up looking for work in person, it demonstrates a measure of honesty, sincerity, a desire to become employed, and that the person is not shy.
We posted employment opportunities on the web last year (local and Federal gov't job banks) and did not receive even one application. We advertised in newspapers all across Canada, same result. Any resumes that arrive by fax or email are thrown out, unless that person has called ahead to explain.
metalman.

Posted by: MrPG on November 30 2009 1:37 PM

Metalman, most companies now want to post their openings on a website and have people apply for them remotely. The company can then sift through the resumes they receive and call the short listed candidates directly.

I'm not saying one way is better than another, but that's just the way it is.

Throwing out resumes that arrive by fax or e-mail is a mistake IMO, without at least checking them out.

Posted by: NMG on November 30 2009 1:46 PM

The use of e-mail and company websites to find candidates for jobs is not only very efficient, but it also allows people to apply for opportunities that they never could have before. A person in PG could show their interest in jobs in Vancouver, Regina, Halifax or even across the globe, whereas in the "old days" one would never have even known those opportunities were out there.

Same goes for local businesses. Why would you not want to expand your applicant pool as much as possible?

I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with "pounding the pavement" but I also think businesses need to adapt with the times and leverage technology to find suitable employees. It's a competitive market out there for good people (only going to get even more competitive as the baby boomers start leaving the workforce) and businesses that don't adapt their HR practices with these realities will be at a real competitive disadvantage.

Posted by: Junco on November 30 2009 7:59 PM

Chris Rock said he quit school in the 10th grade. He said it was the worst thing he could have done as all he could find for work was the same jobs that people that quit in grade two could get. Except that the people who quit in grade two had eight more years experience than him, lol.

Posted by: metalman on December 1 2009 7:24 AM

"Stuck in the stone age, and loving it"
metalman.

Posted by: cheeta on December 1 2009 7:46 AM

Good to do a bit of both when job searching - pound the pavement locally and use the web to find jobs farther away. An unemployed person may be willing to work anywhere in Canada, but there is no way he/she can afford to travel around the country to go to every job site. The use of email and websites are excellent tools

Posted by: chrislivingdowntown on December 1 2009 8:59 AM

I disagree there are all kinds of jobs. You got lazy people that went to school that don 't want to work hard. They want a sit down at the desk get fat smoke. We will always need lay play do hard work. In the trades and in other area's. None of my family has educations and all 23 of us are doing fine thank you very much.