Reporter: Jacob A. Laybolt
While many students in both high school and university may resort to service industry jobs at minimum wage to support themselves, another avenue for youth was featured this October. On Wednesday, October 17th, HMCS Cabot held its annual open house event. Located amongst the shipyards which maintain various coast guard and commercial fishing vessels, Cabot has housed an impressive naval base since 1949. With 5,100 reservists serving across 24 divisions in Canada youth comprise a large portion of those positions. As such, it was no surprise that the majority of attendees at this event were high school students.
Various posters and banners had been hung in the main entrance to advertise the vast career opportunities available at the Naval Reserves. Some of these possibilities included the often publicized Maritime Tactical Operations Group (MTOG) and the recently developed Naval Security Team (NST).
During the event an emphasis was placed on the training and skills development provided which can asset future careers outside the military. This makes it a viable option for youth with minimal occupation experience seeking entry level jobs. Additionally, the presenters were able to describe various deployments which they had taken apart in, resulting in paid diving operations in Hawaii or even participation in exercise drills in the South Atlantic with the United States Navy.
After a brief tutorial on the fitness evaluation, the party broke for a complimentary trip to the cafeteria where the kitchen served their traditional 8:30 soup. Directly afterwards,there was a weapons exhibit of various firearms and a discussion on dive training where participants were able to try on a scuba rig for themselves. Eventually the group was able to visit the naval command simulator, before the evening was concluded with a power point on the working environment and pay and benefits of becoming a reservist.
The event was well-received,appearing to be part of a larger recruitment campaign as the Army reserves held their open house and job fair only a month prior on September 29th. These are no doubt related to the Liberal government’s current plan to increase regular force numbers by 2,500, while boosting the reserves strength by 1,500.