Spring job fair gives local workforce options

It’s a good way, a workforce specialist said of Thursday’s spring job fair, for workers to find out who is hiring and for employers to find out what workers are looking for.

About 250 people from Yuba-Sutter attended the job fair at the fairgrounds, where 62 employers were set up to review resumes and recruit potential employees.

Janet Fry, business workforce specialist with Sutter County One Stop, said the turnout was great, both from employers and potential employees. The largest groups of employers included resource agencies such as One Stop, and training and apprenticeships.

Fry said they recruit businesses in the area that are hiring and also reach out to new businesses, to see if they could benefit.

Representatives from S.T.E.P. (Strategies To Empower People) agreed the event was a success. S.T.E.P. provides support services for adults with developmental disabilities, teaching everyday life skills.

“We’ve gotten quite a few resumes today, but we always have success here at the job fair,” said Tracy Cummins, representative for S.T.E.P.

Daniel Martinez, director and coordinator for the Northern California Plasterers’ Apprenticeship, said opportunities like Thursday’s job fair are a great way to recruit more students to the program.

Under the apprenticeship program, students attend classes throughout the week and apply what they’ve learned on weekend jobs.

“It’s all about earning while you’re learning with us,” Martinez said. “Now that we are out of the recession, things have started to pick up. So the outlook for our profession looks good, we have a lot of work on the books.”

Christina Mike, human resources coordinator with E Center in Yuba City, said job fairs give people an opportunity to learn more about the companies hiring, but it also provides a chance for people to get advice about how to optimize their job search.

“One thing I’ve seen with some resumes is that sometimes they are pretty sparse, because people don’t always know how to best promote their strengths,” Mike said. “It’s hard to talk about yourself, but a mentor can help with the resume process.”