Chatham-Kent wins second award from Economic Developers Council of Ontario

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Chatham-Kent is on an award-winning streak with the Economic Developers Council of Ontario.

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Chatham-Kent wins second award from Economic Developers Council of Ontario Back to video

The municipality recently won the EDCO Workforce Development and Resident Attraction – Urban Award for the Learning, Earning and Living Career Expo and Job Fair, which included an in-person event Oct. 18, 2023 at Chatham’s John D. Bradley Convention Centre.

Chatham-Kent also won last year for Inclusive Community Based Initiatives & Programming, for a marketing campaign to help local businesses support 2SLGBTQ+ community members.

The annual EDCO Awards of Excellence recognize distinctive ideas and initiatives that can become future economic development best practices.

The Learning, Earning, LivingCK Career Expo and Job Fair project helped showcase career paths and attract talent to position CK for growth, a release said.

“This project supported career planning and talent building to future-proof Chatham-Kent’s workforce by engaging local students (Grade 7 to post-secondary), and talent attraction for existing job openings by connecting both internal and external job seekers with employers, digitally and in-person,” municipal officials said.

More than 2,400 students and 880 job seekers took part. Lead-up workshops with employers aimed to enhance talent attraction and retention efforts. Project marketing targeted job hunters across Southwestern Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area.

Audrey Ansell, community culture and connections director, thanked community partners and employees who helped make the project a success.

“We are proud to have earned . . . (this) award to further spotlight Chatham-Kent as a place to learn, earn and live,” she said.

“This was a tremendous opportunity for our students to learn more about post-secondary education and career opportunities . . . right here in our own community,” said Scott Johnson, St. Clair Catholic District school board education director, in the release.

Tania Maksymenko, of the Newcomer Centre of Peel, said clients enjoyed learning about Chatham-Kent through the newsletter, webinars and in-person visit.

“Many have said that it was one of the best job fairs they have attended,” she added. “Several people shared that the tour has exceeded their expectations and their perception of small-town Canada has changed.”