Chatham-Kent welcomed new employees including 170 summer students during an onboarding event held Wednesday morning June 6 at the John. D. Bradley Centre.
The purpose of the event is to provide employees with an overview of the municipality; not just the particular area in which they will be working,” said Chatham-Kent Chief Human Resource Officer Cathy Hoffman.
“For our summer students and new employees filling the positions of others who have retired, it is important to give them the sense of what it means to work for municipal government and to be part of a team dedicated to serving the public,” she said.
Hoffman said even though many students are filling jobs which aren’t necessarily in their field of study, they gain valuable work experience.
She said the municipality also benefits by developing a talent pool of potential employees.
Chatham-Kent CAO Don Shropshire said it is vitally important for the municipality to attract talented individuals. “We’re no different than any other major employer in that we have a significant number of baby-boomers who will be retiring in the next few years,” he said. “It is important for students and the workforce at large to be aware that there are opportunities at the municipality and throughout Chatham-Kent.”
Those attending the event took part in a mini-tour of municipal departments, learning how each functions and what role they play in providing services.
