Army reserve recruiting members
OPEN HOUSE AND JOB FAIR GIVES PUBLIC A LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES
The Vimy Ridge Armoury opened to the public Saturday for the second annual open house and job fair to see what the Canadian Army Reserve does on a day-to-day basis
The armoury allowed people to walk through all of the equipment, meet the people involved at every level and learn about all of the opportunities available within the army reserve.
“What we are doing is opening up the doors and inviting Canadians in to see what the local units have to offer in the way of job opportunities as well as what the army reserve does as a whole, and provide some information so they have an understanding what the Armouries does," says Captain Brad Young, public affairs officer. “If someone is looking for a part-time job as a reserve, we work part-time and that allows people to have another career or go to school and in several cases, including mine, the army reserve allowed me to help pay for university and it helped me build up my professional portfolio.”
The army reserves offer leadership opportunities, where Canadians are able to learn many new and transferable skills that they can apply in their existing careers and daily lives, all while proudly serving their country.
Recruiting new members to the army reserves is a nationwide effort under Canada’s defense policy. The Government of Canada is committed to increasing the size of the reserve rorce to 30,000 members, an increase of 1,500, with a local increase of just over 100 people. The average length of time it takes for an individual to join the reserve force is approximately 30 days.
“Locally for this unit, we are looking for 126 people, but we never stop recruiting because people always move away or find opportunities,” says Sergeant Anthony Lapthorn, recruitment officer. “There is a lot of opportunity here. If you go to school or university we have summer employment for up to four years, and they will imburse for up to $2,000 per semester for when you have completed your basic training.”
The army reserve is a diverse group of people. The minimum age for application is 16-years-old with parental permission, up to the age of 57. The local reserve does deploy, but mostly helps with local emergencies such as wildfires and flash floods.
The Vimy Ridge Armoury, along with the Canadian Army Reserve is looking for dedicated people who are looking to serve and protect their country.
For more information on what the Army Reserve does and how you can apply, visit the Vimy Ridge Armoury, located beside the Lethbridge Airport, or online at canada.ca/army-reserve.