Amid COVID19 Pandemic, Newcomers Canada provides hope to hundreds of job seekers at Routes Expos East and West.
Newcomers Canada has been connecting newcomers to information about cultural, educational, employment, and business opportunities, and holding events in cities across the country, for over 10 years. Unfortunately, COVID19 restrictions forced these in-person events to be put on hold in 2021. In response to these ongoing challenges, on April 7th and 8th hundreds of job seekers logged on, joining the first-ever virtual Routes Expo event, presented by Newcomers Canada. The Routes Expos were open to all job seekers and offered additional specific content for newly arrived and already settled foreign professionals to connect with employers, universities and colleges, government agencies, immigration experts, and settlement services.
The new virtual format was hosted on the innovative Hopin platform, offering event attendees the opportunity to meet directly with employers, the ability to engage with speakers in live Q&A sessions, and to visit virtual vendor booths. The platform was a great success resulting in over 2500 Expo booth interactions between candidates and exhibitors. While nothing can compare with an in-person interaction, Newcomers Canada is pleased with the innovative approach the Hopin platform provided our network.
The 2021 Routes Expo title sponsor was the Government of New Brunswick, representing a region growing at a rapid pace. This growth has led to a need to fill jobs across sectors including cybersecurity, finance, healthcare, tech, customer service. The Government of New Brunswick was joined by several of their industry partners who were all searching for talent to fill roles.
In addition to our title sponsor, Newcomers Canada also welcomed over thirty-five exhibitors including employers, economic development and regional attraction teams, government bodies, and immigration services. These exhibitors shared with attendees a variety of opportunities across the country and across sectors.
Looking toward the future, Newcomers Canada hopes to return to in-person events in cities across the country. In the meantime, and for as long as necessary to comply with event restrictions, Newcomers will be hosting online events connecting newcomers to information about cultural, educational, employment, and business opportunities throughout Canada.
Newcomers Canada would like to thank everyone who attended Routes Expo, our exhibitors, and our sponsors. We look forward to seeing you all again soon!