Career Expo in Toronto connects aspiring fire professionals with exhibitors and industry experts

Thursday, March 27 marked the return of the Security · Police · Fire Career Expo in Toronto, where inspiring young professionals had the opportunity to meet with employers in the fire, police and security industries for a day of networking and learning.

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., approximately 400 people – around 250 attendees and 150 exhibitors – were hosted at The International Centre in Mississauga, Ont., where attendees had the opportunity to visit almost 50 booths and participate in mock interviews with mentors from each field.

Exhibitors included Peel Regional Police, Paladin Security, Toronto Fire Services, the Ontario Provincial Police, CANCOM, the Ontario Fire Administration, Georgian College, GardaWorld Security, Calgary Police Service, Fit to Serve Online Training and many more.

One of this year’s highlights, as in years past, was the mock interview sessions, where industry hopefuls had the opportunity to sit down with established members of the fire, policing and security sectors to hone their skills and prepare for a future job interview.

“I’ve been in this industry for thirty years, but my son is looking to get into the industry,” said Brian McIlravey, in attendance with his son Derek McIlravey. “This is fabulous for kids to explore all kinds of options. The mentorship program here is incredible, giving kids the chance to sit down with real experts and get real opinions.”

The fire industry was represented by Fire Chief Andrew Zvanitajs from Vaughn Fire and Rescue Service and Fire Chief Chris Nearing from Markham Fire and Emergency Services, the police industry was represented by Deputy Chief Rob Burke from the Barrie Police Service, Staff Inspector Steve Bogart from St. Thomas Police Service, Chief Special Constable Peter Scislowski from OC Transpo and Staff Superintendent Kelly Skinner from the Toronto Police Service and the security industry was represented by Kanan Kanapathipillai, Director of Security, Fire and Parking Operations for Trillium Health Partners and Robin Soobramanie, Director of Security Operations for Woodbine Entertainment.

The event was made possible thanks to the support of the sponsors, including platinum sponsor OC Transpo and gold sponsors Nunavik Police Service and Woodbine Entertainment.

Our upcoming career expo is set for May 14 in Surrey, B.C., with another planned for October 4 in Calgary, Alta. Interested in attending as an exhibitor or attendee? Visit www.emergencyservicesexpo.ca today.