To attract great people, we need great places to live. The Hiring & Workforce Housing Forum, organized by the City of Penticton’s Economic Development department, will bring together South Okanagan employers with people who can make change happen.

Hear from leading experts, take part in interactive workshops, be inspired by the latest concepts, uncover opportunities and leave with outcomes.

This event will incorporate two streams of topics running simultaneously, essentially bringing together two forums under one roof. Participants can pick from either agenda, making it a relevant and value-packed day.

The challenge

In today’s increasingly competitive hiring marketplace, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to attract and retain skilled labour. One of the greatest barriers to recruitment is a shortage of suitable housing options.

Let’s work together to find a solution.

Choose to attend the stream that resonates best with your business situation:

Stream #1: Hiring

• Gain insight to position your organization to attract your ideal recruits with a hands-on workshop.

• Learn about hiring incentives for ‘untapped’ labour markets.

• Ramp up your online presence on the free recruitment portal StartHereOkanagan.com. Bring your laptops and get right into it.

• Option to film your own recruitment video on-site.

Stream #2: Workforce Housing

• Explore innovative housing and financing methods.

• Connect with people who can make change happen – and explore new opportunities.

• Identify your pain points in finding housing and hear about options for resolving them.

Who is this event for?

South Okanagan employers, investors, planners, property managers, real estate and mortgage specialists and the development community. Also, for those involved in education, regulation, housing, business support and development.

Add-on option: Film your recruitment video

In today’s virtual world, videos are one of the driving forces for marketing your organization. A job posting provides details of the role, but a video can relay the essence of the company culture. We’re offering a limited number of participants the option to film their own recruitment videos on-site, with assistance from professional coaches.

You’ll be building on the learnings from the morning session to define your organization’s messaging – a process specifically designed to help you come out with an elevator pitch for working at your company. For a minimal fee of $100, you’ll create a high-quality video, which will be added to StartHereOkanagan.com and that you can use for your own social media and website promotions. To book this option, order the ticket option including the video. First come, first serve.

Inspirational speakers

Hear from keynote Brock Dickinson, a renowned economic development expert and adjunct professor with the University of Waterloo. Other speakers announced so far include: Cori Maedel of Jouta HR Consulting; Heather Michaud of Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship Canada; Aireen Luney of the BC Provincial Nominee Program; Jennifer Tedman-Jones of Mitacs at UBC Okanagan; Andrew Kemp, City of Penticton Economic Development; Erick Thompson, ET2Media; and Jonathan Page, an award-winning expert in online recruitment and President of Careerleaf, which created the StartHereOkanagan.com platform.