CREDIT: EMILY STEWART
London Jobs Now launched their website earlier this year. London Mayor Ed Holder called it the "Trivago of job boards" as it gathers information from all regional employers across various websites.

Fanshawe College is connecting its students to the regional job market.

A City of London press release from April 12 said the College joined the London Jobs Now Task Force.

The London Jobs Now website also went live this year, which another City of London press release announced on June 28. After the website redirects to the Elgin Middlesex Oxford Workforce Planning and Development Board website, job seekers can either use a list similar to what they would see on other job boards like Indeed.ca, or use a map that pinpoints where the jobs are located.

Both options allow prospective employees to narrow their search based on industry, location, language, duration and skill sets. The map option also shows which jobs are on bus routes in either London or Woodstock, Ont.

A London Jobs Now Task Force Report from June 26 said that according to Statistics Canada, 28 per cent of Londoners between 25 to 64 years old are not working.

“The irony is, again, according to Stats Canada, there are at least now some 9,000-10,000 jobs wanting,” London Mayor Ed Holder said. “There are some employers looking to fill those jobs.”

Holder also said London has “the worst participation rate of any city in Canada today”. He acknowledged the not-working population includes those who are not working for reasons tied to either their personal health, caregiving, or finances.

“But that is no different than any other community where you’re going to have those kinds of individuals,” he said.

He added the goal of London Jobs Now is to be “a no excuses opportunity to find something that is consistent with your skill sets and what you would like to do”, and that the city aims to “fill 13,000 jobs before the end of this council term”.

Anne Marie DeCicco-Best, the College’s executive advisor and government relations, sits on the task force as a Fanshawe representative to connect Fanshawe students and graduates seeking employment. She said “thousands and thousands” of students graduate annually.

“If we can help them stay within the region [and] get a job, that absolutely helps with the economic prospects we have within our own region, which is good for all of us because that means we’re helping to drive the economy,” said DeCicco- Best.

She also noted some of the reasons why people struggle to find employment include not knowing where to look, feeling defeated after sending out several resumes without a response, and possessing “a unique skill set”.

While London Jobs Now features many positions from a variety of industries, DeCicco-Best noted that required job skills change with the times.

“Before, we always thought ‘okay, as long as you have a trade or you graduate from a program, and some skill sets that you’ve learned,” she said. “That that should help lead to a job.”

Now, DeCicco-Best added, employers want communication, critical thinking, and collaborative skills.

DeCicco-Best said students should visit Fanshawe’s Career Services for additional help on their job search.

Darlene O’Neill, the College’s director of employment and entrepreneurial student services, said that most Fanshawe grads stay within the Southwestern Ontario region.

“I don’t think you can go in any institution in London or any business in London and not run into a Fanshawe student or Fanshawe graduate.”

She said that students looking for work should heavily research the prospective companies, jobs, and locations they wish to work, along with building a network. O’Neill said Fanshawe’s partnership with London Jobs Now is an asset to its task force.

“We are developing the employees of the future. Fanshawe is an innovative [and] creative post-secondary institution that absolutely can meet the supply chain to meet the demands of employers,” she said. “So finding employers help find their future talent is exactly what we do.”

Juan Varela, a first year child and youth worker student from Colombia, said providing such opportunities to students is important.

“Most of the students here are looking to either start a job as soon as they graduate or get a part-time job or volunteer,” he said. “Having that kind of tool for Fanshawe will make it easier for us, the students, to find a job.”

Visit londonjobsnow.ca for more information on available jobs.