'I’m hopeful things turn around and pick up'

Brent Dinter was one of the many hopefuls to apply for positions with Heliene Inc. during a job fair at Employment Solutions Tuesday.

The 21-year-old currently holds seasonal employment, but is on the hunt for more steady, reliable work, he told SooToday.

A recent graduate of Sault College from the Home Inspection and Residential Construction programs, Dinter doesn’t want to leave the community for gainful employment, but “work is work,” he said.

“(The local job market) seems to be going back and forth. It seems like a lot of (employers) are looking, but they’re looking for a very specialized group of people,” he said. “It seems if you’re not one of those select few, there’s not a lot for someone just out of college to apply for.”

“There’s obviously a lot of negativity in the city with everything that’s going on with the steel plant and Tenaris, but I’m still kind of hopeful because this is my hometown. I’m hopeful things turn around and pick up.”

For Dinter, submitting an application to Heliene Inc. is a way to hopefully get his foot in the door at the local solar panel manufacturing facility.

This is likely the case for many of the more than 100 applications received by 2 p.m., said Catherine Tosello, job development consultant with Employment Solutions.

The company has several openings that range from entry level positions to lower management, said Tosello, so the busy turnout came as no surprise.

“They’re unemployed or underemployed and motivated to work,” she said. “They know coming here… there’s a little more access to that job market.”

“Just because you’re underemployed, don’t think that just because you’re working, you shouldn’t come in to see us. We work with individuals that are working.”

The next job fair hosted by Employment Solutions will be Tuesday, Mar. 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with Plan A Health Care Staffing Solutions Inc.

The company will be hiring RNs, RPNs, and PSWs to assist northern Ontario long-term care facilities with temporary staffing deficiencies.

To learn more about the services offered by Employment Solutions, please click here.