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Jennifer McPhee
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (July 11/01) - Students won't have to wear embarrassing uniforms and flip burgers for minimum wage this summer because decent paying jobs are everywhere.
 Karen Sewell serves Ryan Stroeder cake at the Hire-a-Student barbecue on Monday. - Jennifer McPhee/NNSL photo |
Stroeder was at the Hire-a-Student barbecue on Monday. But he was just there for the free burgers. Stroeder already landed his perfect summer job weeks ago and it wasn't even hard.
As soon as he arrived home from school, he dropped off a few applications and before he knew it, BHP offered him a job in shipping and receiving over the phone without even interviewing him in person.
"I did a little happy dance and everything," he said. "BHP is a company that's putting a lot of money into the North. And next year, they'll be looking for someone with experience, so this could turn out to be more than a summer job."
How much does he make?
"I don't want to seem like I'm bragging," he said. "But the pay is very good."
BHP also hired 53 other students this summer.
HRDC employment officer Patricia Coyne, who runs the Hire-a-Student service, was setting up the barbecue.
"There are more jobs than students this year," she said. "We can't fill all the positions."
Coyne added that most of the 150 students registered at the Hire-a-Student office have already found jobs.
However, a boom to some is a bust for others. The good fortune of Yellowknife students is leaving the service industry short staffed.
"We've had an ad out and we've been looking for help for two to three weeks," said Javaroma supervisor Mira Hache.
"It's super hard to get people to come in because the service industry doesn't pay as well."
Hache added that clothing retailers and bar owners, desperate for staff, have walked right into Javaroma and offered her a job.
For those students who are still job hunting, this is Student Employment Week and the Hire-a-Student office will move to Javaroma from 1 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Information sessions will also be held throughout the week at HRDC.
"They're short, they're to the point and they aren't boring," said Coyne.
