4 February 2019

PRESS RELEASE – Employers from the Estrie region seeking labour specialized in IT will be able to recruit workers at the Salon virtuel des métiers technologiques, on February 20 and 21, 2019, thanks to an innovative regional partnership among Sherbrooke Innopole, the Maison régionale de l’industrie, and the Table des MRC de l’Estrie.

The online recruitment event will provide access to a bank of candidates, which is not utilized by most businesses in the Estrie region to date, from other regions of Québec, elsewhere in Canada, and other French-speaking countries.

The virtual job fair will also have the advantage of providing companies with an opportunity to recruit from candidates preselected on the basis of their CVs and LinkedIn profiles to ensure that their career paths and qualifications correspond to the needs of the employment sectors targeted.

This 2^nd edition of the Salon virtuel des métiers technologiques (virtual technology career fair) is targeting information technologies (IT) as well as technologies used in the manufacturing sector. More than 300 professionals – analysts, programmers, industrial technicians, electrical mechanics, etc. – have preregistered for the job fair. On February 20 and 21, they will be able to chat live online with their future employer and apply for the jobs posted.

This virtual job fair is an initiative of Sherbrooke Innopole in collaboration with the Maison régionale de l’industrie, which is developing the digital platform. The 2^nd edition of this event is receiving financial and promotional support from the Table des MRC de l’Estrie.

“Subsequent to a first edition for Sherbrooke enterprises, we approached the Table des MRC to open the job fair to all employers in the region. We are thus offering an additional potential solution to help with recruitment in the context of workforce shortages, while demonstrating the region’s proactiveness in addressing this issue. The fair’s power of attraction is also increasing at the same time,” explained Marc-Henri Faure, Director, Business Services – Information Technology at Sherbrooke Innopole.

“The Maison régionale de l’industrie has been investing in endeavours to introduce innovative solutions to assist businesses with their recruitment challenges for the last five years. The virtual job fair is an interactive platform with advantages beyond those of a conventional job recruitment fair. It serves as an opportunity for employers and job seekers to connect regardless of their geographic location. This is an environmentally responsible solution that enables company managers to maximize their time in searching for optimal candidates,” noted René Gendron, Director General of the Maison régionale de l’industrie.

“We believe that it is expedient, given current recruitment difficulties, to diversify our methods to reach different labour pools.  Compared to the traditional methods of postings and job fairs, the virtual technology career fair is a new approach to attract those with the talents sought who are not necessarily actively seeking new positions. This innovative initiative seeks to facilitate the recruitment of qualified personnel by our enterprises. Take advantage of this great opportunity!” encouraged Hugues Grimard, Chair of the Table des MRC de l’Estrie and Prefect of the MRC des Sources.

Companies interested in recruiting at the 2^nd Salon virtuel des métiers technologiques are invited to fill out the online form at www.salonvirtueltechno.com/exposants by February 8 at the latest. Two options are available: Virtual booth and job billboard.

Source: Sherbrooke Innopole