Mount Washington holding job fair ahead of winter season
One of Vancouver Island’s largest private employers is on the hunt for new talent and is looking to hire a significant number of new workers this weekend.
“It’s quite amazing, we staff up to 800 employees, so that’s about a 700 increase,” says Cam Thickett, employee experience manager with Mount Washington Alpine Resort.
“We have a lot of returning employees each year we’re very grateful for however we’re always looking for new faces and people willing and ready to come up and enjoy the mountain experience.”
Each year, the mountain participates in a job fair to seek recruits. This time around, it will be holding one on Sunday.
“We just want to meet you,” Thickett says. “We want to hear what you’re interested in doing with us and why Mount Washington? Why do you want to be part of the community here?”
Resort managers know that aside from the paycheque, employees are also interested in working on the mountain because of the free skiing and snowboarding.
“It’s such a fun place to work, really,” says marketing manager Kayla Stockton.
“You’ll like being outside, getting out on the snow. Even if you’re not a skier or a snowboarder, there’s plenty of job opportunities for you up here at Mount Washington, but of course it’s one of the best perks is getting the season’s pass access to everything we have going on up here.”
While many job sectors are experiencing problems recruiting workers, the resort says it’s not having the same difficulties, with the exception of one area.
“We are struggling to find qualified food and beverage staff, so if anybody’s interested, we have a great operation here with great tips in the winter,” Thickett says.
Employees like lift and tube park manager Jenn Macklin say along with the perks, employment at the mountain also offers a great team atmosphere.
“We do team-building activities during training, we like to have trivia nights just to build the team feeling, we do soccer nights, we try to get together as often as we can,” Macklin says. “Obviously, with the pandemic, it is kind of difficult, but we want to help each other out if we can.”
Thickett estimates 10 per cent of the resort’s employees are from international sources, but most are from the local area, Vancouver Island and elsewhere in the province.
“We have a lot of people travelling across the country to come and spend a winter here on Vancouver Island,” he says.
The job fair takes place on Sunday, Oct. 17, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Comox Valley Visitors Centre.
Information on employment can also be found on the company’s website. www.mountwashington.ca
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.