Career fair attracts companies, students trying to end COVID-19 pandemic

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — A virtual career fair is getting underway Friday to help give a boost to the rapidly growing Life Sciences industry.

The 2nd annual LifeSciences BC Career Connect Day will be featuring some companies trying to eradicate COVID-19.

LifeSciences BC President and CEO Wendy Hurlburt says 600 people have signed up for this event which runs January 22, 2021 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The event is also free to students who wish to take part and tickets can be found here.

“We have only really promoted it in B.C., but interestingly enough, organically, we are picking up people from academic institutions across the country. We have people from Dalhousie, McGill, University of Toronto, Western, McMaster and Calgary registered.”

She says last year’s inaugural fair, which was in-person, drew more than 200 people from various education backgrounds.

“You can work in life sciences with a science background. You can work in life sciences with a business background because it’s where the two come together. Really, what this career-connect day is fundamentally all about is bringing together science and industry to drive innovation for the benefit of the province.”

Demand is so strong this year, Hurlburt says she already heard from a student at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland who plans to move to B.C.

“It just reinforces the quality of the life sciences sector. It’s very high and there’s a lot of interest in people wanting to be a part of it. We’re already known as having world-class research and science. UBC is recognized globally.”

BC’s Minister of Jobs Ravi Kahlon is also co-hosting a virtual fire-side chat about how important this growing industry is to the province.

Hurlburt says a study released last year suggests this sector now employs 20-thousand people, up two thousand from 2018.

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