The job market has turned green with new opportunities for college graduates. Fanshawe College, partnered with Connect Strategic Alliance, is bringing those opportunities to campus with GreenWorks London, a green energy job fair, on Thursday, January 13.

Canada's Green Energy Act has promised 50,000 jobs created in the green energy sector, said Mary Smirle, communications and governance specialist for Connect Strategic Alliance. "Many of these jobs don't exist yet; we're looking at these jobs being trained at the college level."

The upcoming green job fair will feature the resources students need to get involved in this growing industry. There will be employers, information booths, green energy course exhibits and training options, which may include general skills upgrading to help make them more applicable to this field. Employment Ontario will also be present, said Smirle.

The fair will highlight how colleges are at the "leading edge" of adapting to the area of green energy with new courses and more, she said. Over the past three years, the college system has developed 35 new programs. Fourteen were introduced in fall 2010, such as green architecture and green business management.

Students wanting to get involved in this burgeoning field of work can bring their resumes to the fair, where they will have plenty of opportunities to make important connections. While there is no guarantee that on-the-spot hiring will occur - it depends on which groups attend the fair — it's still a valuable networking opportunity.

The fair takes place on Thursday, January 13 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. in J Gym.