Evan Gaggero was a Police Foundations student at St. Clair College one year ago, when he first attended the First Responders Career Fair.
Today, he is Ontario Provincial Police Cadet Evan Gaggero, and he's back at the Career Fair looking to find the next recruits to follow in his footsteps.
"The benefit of doing that was just being able to meet the faces of the organizations that I wanted to work for, being able to ask questions to the ambassadors and the recruiters of how to prepare for an interview, how to better myself, and find out what they look for in a candidate," said Cadet Gaggero, noting the OPP also brought a self-assessment tool which helps recruits pinpoint strengths and shore up where they're lacking. "I found out how can I improve myself to make sure I could be the best candidate that I can be."
Gaggero first attended St. Clair College in the Border Services program. Upon graduation, he took Police Foundations and graduated in April of 2024. Less than 11 months later, he was wearing a uniform and is now on track to becoming a constable with the Essex and Lakeshore OPP detachment.
"I was just lucky that the OPP had just brought back the provincial cadet program, and I was ready," he recalled. "I had talked to my professors about it, built up my resume and my application, applied as the best candidate that I could be, and went through the process, gave it everything I could, and was fortunate enough to get the position."
He encourages other students to attend these College career fairs with purpose, and not to rely on the diploma alone to land a job post-graduation.
"Set yourself apart. Volunteer somewhere, be employed in a relevant sector, get different certifications, get licenses," Gaggero said. "Set yourself apart and make a name for yourself."
The First Responders Career Fair showcased opportunities with 15 different employers in fields such as policing, security, firefighting, paramedics and border services.
Included on that list are: The Windsor Police Service, Essex-Windsor EMS, Correctional Services Recruitment, Paladin Security Company, Canadian Armed Forces, Ontario Provincial Police, Caesars Windsor, Commissionaires Ontario, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Chatham-Kent Police Service, LaSalle Police Service, Amherstburg Fire Department, City of Windsor, Canada Border Services Agency, and Miller Waste Systems.
It's the first of a handful of career fairs taking place over the coming months at the College, highlighting opportunities like education, healthcare, community services, business and information Technology.
"We try and have a diverse pool for the students to come and network with as well," said Cody Brown, a Career Services Officer with St. Clair College's Genesis Experiential Learning and Career Centre.
"There's the networking opportunities to come and meet with these employers and students have the opportunity to learn about any employment opportunities that they have," Brown said. "A lot of students don't always know what they want to do after they graduate, so this gives them a chance to explore, learn and understand sort of what is actually out there for them."
The Healthcare Career Fair will take place on Feb. 12, 2025, at the Alumni Hall Lounge on the second floor at Main Windsor Campus between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
The Education and Community Services Career Fair will take place on Feb. 26, 2025, and the Business and Information Technology Career Fair is scheduled for March 19, 2025.
The department also offers a job fair readiness workshop to help students put their best foot forward when they attend job fairs or networking events.
