Three hundred jobs are opening up this week at the Stream contact centre in Chilliwack - jobs that can lead to computer-related careers around the world.
“It’s the kind of opportunity you get when you join a company like Stream, that’s truly a global opportunity,” said Mike Robinson, Stream’s site director in Chilliwack.
Applications for the 300 jobs were being accepted at a two-day job fair Wednesday and Thursday, but more hiring will be done over the next few months.
In addition to entry-level jobs providing support for a new Stream client, there will also be positions opening for team managers and trainers.
Robinson said he couldn’t disclose the name of the new client, but the new employees will be answering calls for support from customers “anywhere in North America” who have purchased the client’s “cool new toys.”
There is a paid three-week paid training period for the new employees.
Customer-service experience, in the retail or food industry, along with some basic computer know-how are the core skills the company is looking for in new employees.
Robinson said the company promotes employees “from within at every possible opportunity” and some go on to management positions. One Chilliwack employee is now the company’s resource planner for all of North America, he said.
The job fairs are open from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. and include a tour of the contact centre located at 7955 Evans Rd.
One of Chilliwack’s largest employers, Stream came to the city in 2001 and has been the source of clean, computer-related jobs ever since.
“These jobs coming into Chilliwack is a huge deal,” enthused Chilliwack Mayor Sharon Gaetz, and help the community move toward its goal of sustainability.
Already, 72 per cent of Chilliwack residents work at jobs within the city.
But it’s more than just a numbers game, the mayor added.
“This is about people having food on the table and shoes for their kids ... all the things we need to live.”
Chilliwack MLA John Les, who played a major role in opening the doors for Stream to locate in Chilliwack, also welcomed the “extremely good news” of another round of hiring.
At Les’s urging when he was mayor, city council had approved the purchase of an old drive-in movie site where Stream and the Soprema roofing plant are now located.
“The opportunity was there as a result of actions taken by council,” Les said.
rfreeman@theprogress.com
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