A locally owned business welcomes a brand-new employee after attending Playford’s inaugural Northern Adelaide Jobs and Careers Expo to improve its visibility in the community and help fill vacant positions.

International student Madusha Lakmini Gunawardhana is one of over 2000 people who took the opportunity to attend the expo and through her exposure to its career opportunities, has since taken on a brand-new position at Elizabeth South’s Williams Metal Fabrication.

The family-operated business is thrilled to offer Ms Gunawardhana a newly created position as a production engineer, after struggling to not only attract local employees but fill positions with skilled workers, according to director Stuart Rogers.

“Our industry struggles to find new employees – the expo is a chance to promote the boilermaker welder trade, as well as meet potential employees. Finding Madusha is a bonus and we look forward to working together,” Mr Rogers said.

Williams Metal Fabrication’s employees are mostly local residents and as the trade becomes more advanced, Ms Gunawardhana is set to help grow its popularity in the area and encourage the next generation to take on the trade.

“Being an international student and landing an engineering job while studying is not easy – so the expo really helped me. I am very grateful for this opportunity,” Ms Gunawardhana said.

“I am really looking forward to using my knowledge and skills in this new role.”

Mayor Glenn Docherty welcomes this local employment success story and hopes other jobseekers are inspired to find new opportunities at Playford’s career networking events.

“This outcome shows these events are a crucial cog in the wheel of getting local people into local jobs and industries, while also strengthening businesses across our city,” Mayor Docherty said.

“It also provides our community’s jobseekers with a welcoming environment to take the first step in their career journey.”