CELINA-The recent jobs fair held here was a success, officials say, and employers and residents can expect another one in the coming months to help bridge the gap between employers and those looking for work.
The jobs fair was the second one held in Clay County in less than a year, with adult participation in the fair considerably higher in the second event. In the earlier event, high school student participation outranked adult participants.
This year’s event started at 4:30 p.m., to give those looking for work or for another job a better opportunity to attend, said Clay County Chamber of Commerce director Kevin Donaldson. The result was almost 50 job-seekers, with many filling out job applications, setting up interviews with local employers and getting information about job training and continued education.
“I couldn’t be more impressed with both the employers and the job seekers who participated in the Job Fair,” said Jill Osborne, veterans’ employment representative with the state Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development in Cookeville. “Many of the employers who attended told us that they would like to do this again, and we will gladly accommodate in the months to come.” Osborne, working with the Clay County Workforce Development Committee and other area agencies, was the coordinator of the event.
Tony Scionti, team lead for Labor and Workforce in Cookeville, said the event was a “great turnout, as residents came out to look for positions available from the 15 employers present. Those employers had roughly 48 open positions among them, too.”
Counseling services and educational representatives were also available at the fair, including Vol State Community College, Tennessee College of Applied Technology (Livingston) and Tennessee ReConnect, an initiative to help more adults enter higher education to complete a degree or credential.
“We’re really please with this year’s event,” Donaldson said. “We also want to drive home the point there are jobs available in Clay County and in surrounding counties,” said Donaldson.
“We often hear there are no jobs in Clay County, and that’s just not the case. We have employers who are ready to put several dozen people to work right now,” Donaldson said. “I spoke with employers after the jobs fair who said they thought it was successful, and gave them an opportunity to interact with qualified job seekers from the county. We hope the results of this year’s event are a springboard for our next one.”