Sask. firm hopes to recruit hockey players to manufacturing jobs
A reason to put hockey skills on your resume
A fuel tank manufacturing company in Biggar, Sask., has posted an ad looking for workers who can play hockey.
AGI Envirotank needs tradespeople and labourers and the town needs talent for its senior hockey team.
Excerpts from SaskJobs posting:
- In collaboration with the Biggar Senior Hockey Management team, AGI is open to providing long term jobs, career and training opportunities to interested applicants.
- Candidate(s) must reside in the area or be willing to relocate to Biggar prior to September 1 2014.
- Candidate(s) must qualify for the senior team as a player, coach, manager or supporting officer.
- If your dream is to continue to play hockey while establishing a career, we encourage you to consider relocation to Biggar and employment with AGI Envirotank.
"There wasn't enough players last year to have a team," AGI's Jeff Burton explained to CBC Radio host Craig Lederhouse of The Afternoon Edition Wednesday. "We're trying to attract more people into the community so we can have a team this year."
Burton said the company also hopes the hockey angle may catch the notice of players looking for work.
"It's hard to attract people to rural Saskatchewan," he said. "So we've used kind of the hockey angle as a way of getting them to come to Biggar Saskatchewan."
Biggar, a town of around 2,000 people, is roughly 100 kilometres west of Saskatoon. Its hockey team — the Nationals — play in a rural league against clubs from Rosetown, Lloydminster, and other towns in the area.
"It's pretty good hockey," Burton said, noting many of the players have experience in Midget AAA or Junior leagues.
This isn't the first time AGI has advertised jobs for hockey players.
"We did it in the 80s," Burton recalled. "It's my father's idea. He's about 72. He did it back in the 80s and it was successful."
Some of those recruits — welders, salespeople and others — are still in the community today, Burton said. He remembers about 10 people who came to town to work and play hockey.
"Some people we can train the skills," Burton added. "What's important to us is they have a reason to stay in the community. They don't necessarily have to love their job, but they could love hockey."
Stars on the ice
"If we can keep them there, and they can be long-term employees, that's what we need," he said.
The company has positions open for draftsmen, welders and warehouse people.
"Biggar is a small community, and certainly people in the community know who the players are," Burton pointed out. "So I guess they'll have rural fame."