Nova Scotia

Marine Atlantic job fair in Sydney draws hundreds

Job seekers crowded into the YMCA in Sydney, N.S., Thursday to hear about Marine Atlantic hiring 95 on-call, spare and relief assistant stewards for its 2016 season. The ferry company may have other positions opening soon, as well.

The ferry company has 95 openings for on-call, spare and relief assistant stewards

There was standing room only at a job fair in Sydney, N.S. Thursday. Several hundred people showed up to hear Marine Atlantic's plans to hire 95 people as assistant stewards. (George Mortimer/CBC)

Hundreds of people turned out to a job fair advertising 95 positions with Marine Atlantic in Sydney, N.S., Thursday.

Marine Atlantic, which runs a ferry between Cape Breton and Newfoundland, has openings for permanent on-call, spare, and relief assistant stewards for the 2016 season, company human resources manager Dan Tobin said.

People from around Cape Breton crowded the room at the Sydney YMCA to hear the employment pitch. 

Jeremy Bond had his resume ready for the Marine Atlantic job fair Thursday. (George Mortimer/CBC)

Laura Walker was one of the first in line. "I think it's a good place to work," she said. 

Jeremy Bond, 22, brought his resume from Louisbourg. "I've got my class-three course and I got a bunch of my safety tickets," he said.

The high turnout will "make our job much more difficult because there's obviously great interest," Tobin said. 

More jobs could be posted

The company plans to review the resumes and start interviews in January.

More jobs may become available with further retirements and promotions, he said. Those could include work in the stevedore-based operation in North Sydney or Port aux Basques, N.L., or aboard vessels in the deck and engine departments, Tobin said.

Another job fair is scheduled in Port aux Basques in December.