Bendigo Library held the second annual PeoplePlus Jobs Fair where employers and job-seekers were able to meet and discuss future employment opportunities throughout the region.
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PeoplePlus Bendigo region branch manager Morgan Landt said the aim of the fair was to connect local job-seekers with employers in the area.
“There are job providers from the area, support services and other employment providers such as disability employment services and apprenticeship providers,” Miss Landt said.
“There is a board with a list of advertised vacancies and there are also employers here to speak with job-seekers to help them grasp a greater understanding of what they need to do to be job ready.”
PeoplePlus Australia specialises in employment services, education and training.
The company is a provider of the Australian Government’s initiative, jobactive, which assists job-seekers in finding employment.
“The jobactive service itself has job-seekers who range from 17-65, it’s a very wide range of people,” Ms Landt said.
Department of Jobs and Small Business, assistant director of the employment pathways analysis team Kate Morrison spoke to job-seekers about how they can increase their ability to gain employment.
“We have four main pieces of advice from the department,” she said.
“The value of skills and qualifications. They (job-seekers) need to have formal qualifications.
“The importance of experience to employers. Employers value (job-seekers) being able to demonstrate through experience that they are reliable and trustworthy.
“Personal skills are very important. Employers need people with good communication skills and the ability to present themselves well.
“And the importance of having a good resume and job application.”
Australian Unemployed Workers Union Bendigo regional branch manager Noah Pinder said the union’s presence at the event was to educate people on the rights of the unemployed.
“There’s a lot of rights that people have which they are unaware of,” Mr Pinder said.
In regards to the current employment prospects in the area, Mr Pinder described them as “terrible”.
“There’s just not enough jobs to go around,” Mr Pinder said.
“You could go on Seek and find hundreds of positions, but then you will encounter the problem of jobs requiring five years experience and specific qualifications.
“Despite there being hundreds of positions, I’m only qualified for a small hand full of them,” he said.
Employers that were in attendance were ACE Training, City of Greater Bendigo, Australian Defence Force, Ray White, Hazeldene’s, Don KR Castlemaine and other employment service agencies.