No Lazy Hazy Days of Summer for the Recruitment Team…and their many helpers!

What can I say about last week? Many hours were spent at Westerner Days , in sunny Red Deer, Alberta. I was there promoting SAIT’s full-time, Apprenticeship, Continuing and Distance Education programs. The booth was open to the public Wednesday – Sunday from noon until 10 p.m. so I was very happy to have the help of Sandra Vogel and Tim Fountain, from SAIT’s Customer Services Department.

Although Westerner Days is a trimmed down version of the Calgary Stampede, there was a steady stream of people parading through the market on a daily basis and our best business came when it would rain. When people are cold and wet they need someone to talk to and we were happy to oblige! We had a great time handing out boomerangs to the young kids and the young at heart.

On Sunday, we ventured down to Kensington’s Sun and Salsa Festival. Kevin Olenick and Robert McCallum, also of Customer Services, met with over 260 festival dwellers looking for information between imbibing on nachos and salsa and purchasing jewellery, clothing or unique gifts from the many vendors lines up along 10 Street and Kensington Road.

We were very excited to unveil our newest recruitment equipment…our summer tent! I’m sure Kevin and Robert were happy to have a retreat from the hot sun.

Wednesday brought SAIT to the Old Sun Community College Career Fair, held in conjunction with the Siksika Youth Awareness Week. Siksika Nation is nestled in the small, pretty community of Gleichen, one hour east of Calgary. I enjoyed a quiet drive there and had fun answering questions from some eager high school students. Best of all, they fed us like royalty. A huge thank you to the Siksika community for the excellent event!

This weekend I am at the Calgary Folk Festival! Come visit me at the SAIT booth and check out the great music.

Ya Hoo!

Nearing the end of the Calgary Stampede.

What a week! The city and our campus have been abuzz with Stampede activity for the past week. Everywhere you look you see wranglers, cowboy boots and straw hats all supporting the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.

The kickoff to the Calgary Stampede is the world famous Stampede Parade. This parade runs over 2 hours and winds its way through 4.5 kilometers of the city’s downtown core. With a draw of over 350 000 people lining the streets to watch, you can bet you will find SAIT staff everywhere. Each year the campus closes its doors for a few hours to allow for staff to attend the parade with their families and friends.

This year, I even marched in the parade with a local adult drum corps.

Waiting to start the parade....7:30am!

SAIT’s involvement in this event has increased over the last few years, most notably with the Friends of SAIT Chuckwagon. SAIT’s Chuckwagon team supports three students who demonstrate financial need with a $5,000 bursary!

During each of the ten days of Stampede, the SAIT Chuckwagon team is participating in activities around the city. Each morning brings a round of pancakes and bacon served up at Rope Square (aka Olympic Plaza). You will also find volunteers from the SAIT community cooking and greeting the public at the breakfast.

I was lucky enough to get a chance to volunteer on Monday morning. It was a fantastic opportunity to meet Calgarians and visitors from all over the world. When I returned to the office I brought with me the odour of bacon but I had a great time and will be looking forward to volunteering again next year.

Our Chuckwagon Team also hosts a nightly hoedown to honour our Sponsors. In the heart of the action guests meet for a barbeque and are able to meet our driver Mark Sutherland before they head off to cheer him on at the races. Allison spent an evening at the barns serving dinner and enjoyed meeting the sponsors and spending time with the horses.

Stay tuned for next week when we fill you in on our adventures at the Red Deer Westerner Days, Old Sun Youth Awareness Week and Kensington’s Sun and Salsa Festival!

Summer Fun

Our summer events are officially confirmed and we have arranged for many SAIT staff to attend with us. This is an excellent opportunity to show our fellow co-workers what it is like to be a recruiter! Check out the places we’ll be on the right column.

This past week we toured a group from The Centre for Newcomers. The Centre provides services in settlement, employment and English as a Second Language for newcomers to Canada. We organized a presentation from our English Language Foundations to discuss opportunities for individuals to develop the English proficiency needed to be successful at SAIT and in an English-speaking work environment. We then toured around campus highlighting several key points of interest such as our Learner Assessment and Skills Centre, Program and Employment Advising Centre and Customer Services. We are always excited to have prospective students on campus to showcase the programs and services available. If you are ever interested in visiting campus please call 403.284.7313 to arrange a tour.