CareerForce and Forward Worthington host job fair

WORTHINGTON – A job fair will be held Sept. 5 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the JBS Fieldhouse, featuring companies from Worthington, southwest Minnesota and northwest Iowa in the legal, agricultural, healthcare, renewable energy, engineering, technology and more.

Employers will provide information about job openings in the region to anyone looking for employment or new opportunities. The event is free and open to all.

We will provide interview rooms for employers. If they get a job offer straight away, that would be great.

Nancy Landeros, Career Force

Nancy Landeros, workforce development representative for CareerForce, said partnering with Forward Worthington for the event just made sense to help people in southwest Minnesota find employment in the region.

“I reached out to Forward Worthington to see if we could get together and have a job fair,” she said. “What inspired me was just the need in the community. People come by (at CareerForce), sometimes we get calls from people saying they can't come by because of transportation issues or child care issues. We just thought, 'Why not have a job fair, a one-stop shop where job seekers can just come and meet a variety of employers?'”

Kris Hohensee, economic development coordinator for Forward Worthington, said the need for such an event also exists on both sides.

“The chamber deals with business, economic development and supports the workforce,” she said. “We also thought it was a great fit.”

Both Landeros and Hohensee said the event will have private areas where attendees can interview with employers.

“There have been several mass layoffs at some companies in the region,” Hohensee said. “Many of them have been registered in (Landeros') system. I know she hopes to attract at least most of those people.”

“We just want this to be effective for members of our community,” Landeros added. “This is the first time we've actually coordinated a job fair, and it's always a learning process. Now it's just a matter of getting the word out to the public that this will be open to anyone looking for a job, making a career change or just looking to network.”

Both Hohensee and Landeros said the job fair could be a useful tool for people looking to enter or re-enter the workforce.

“It's a resource,” Hohensee said. “CareerForce is here to help employers find their workforce. WREDC (Worthington Regional Economic Development Corporation) and the Chamber of Commerce are here to support the businesses and increase the workforce. If nothing else, we just want people to know that we're here to help them, whether it's workers getting help through CareerForce or businesses getting help through (Forward Worthington). We're here to bring those resources together.”

“(We) want employers to fill the positions they need and job seekers to find a job. I hope they get a job,” Landeros added. “We will provide interview rooms for employers to interview. If they get a job offer right away, that would be great. If we can do that for everyone, that would be wonderful, but at least (we're) making a connection or a contact for each participant.”

The event is open to the public and attendees are encouraged to bring their resume. For more information, visit the community event page at forwardworthington.com or the Forward Worthington Facebook page.