Job fair to offer opportunities for students, ex-offenders, others
The April 17 event in Springfield will be open to the public.
The annual Clark County Job Fair will offer opportunities for high school seniors, those with developmental disabilities and ex-offenders, also known as justice-impacted individuals.
There will be at least 60 area employers attending the job fair, which will be held from 1:30-4:30 p.m. April 17 at the Hollenbeck-bayley Conference Center, 175 S. Limestone St., Springfield.
A variety of employers will be represented, including those hiring for customer service, health care, manufacturing, logistics, food service, education and public service jobs, with opportunities from entry level to highly skilled.
The first 21/2 hours of the fair will focus on the 500plus high school seniors who have confirmed are attending the fair, said Amy Donahoe, director of workforce development for the Greater Springfield Partnership.
“I’m really excited about the high school students because we’ve come to a place where not everybody needs a four-year college degree . ... For those students not looking to go away to college, they have a really good opportunity to enter the workforce and find something that fits with them,” she said.
“And of course, keeping our talent local is something we’ve been talking about for a really long time.”
The Greater Springfield Partnership also worked with Developmental Disabilities of Clark County to have an area for their staff to work with clients who may need to talk about which employers they want to visit before the fair because it “can be very overwhelming,” Donahoe said.
“It’s very important to have that inclusion in their workforce and a lot of employees are benefiting from the developmental disability population,” Donahoe said.
The fair will also focus on justice-impacted individuals who learn about the fair through the Clark County Department of Reentry.
April is Second Chance Month, a nationally recognized initiative aimed at raising awareness and advocating for the rights and opportunities of people who’ve been justice-impacted.
Brooke Wagner, director of the Clark County Department of Reentry, said the department has fielded interest from community members.
The department actively promoted the job fair at the recent Fair Chance Wednesday resource fair, an event designed for those with prior convictions to connect with employers and local resources.
Wagner said job fairs that include “second-chance employers” are not just about finding jobs, but about “rebuilding lives and fostering a more inclusive and compassionate society.”
“A job fair that includes second-chance employers can be a lifeline for justice-impacted citizens seeking to rebuild their lives and reintegrate into society.
“By providing opportunities for employment despite past convictions, this job fair sends a clear message of inclusion and acceptance, reaffirming the inherent worth and potential of every individual,” she said.
Reentering the workforce can be an “incredibly daunting task” for justice-impacted individuals who often face a multitude of barriers and challenges, Wagner said.
“Discrimination from employers due to the stigma surrounding criminal records is a significant hurdle that many encounter. Despite possessing the skills and qualifications necessary for employment, they are frequently overlooked in favor of other candidates,” she said.
Second-chance employers at the job fair will display a symbol at their tables, which is “an integral part” of the Clark County Department of Reentry’s logo that “symbolizes growth and redemption, and it holds significance for community members with whom we’ve collaborated,” according to Donahoe.
“Our aim is to make this symbol recognizable to justice-impacted citizens whom we haven’t yet had the opportunity to work with,” she said.
“Through informative materials provided at the job fair, we hope to spread awareness and foster understanding of the symbol’s meaning and significance among all attendees.”
Donahoe said Wagner explained that those individuals would recognize the logo and it will help them approach the second-chance employers, including: AM/PM Employment, Clark County Offices, Mcgregor Metalworking, Ohio Department of Transportation, Pure Ohio Wellness, Rocking Horse Center, Topre, Woeber Mustard, Yamada, Marker Construction, Minuteman Press, Rittal, Yost Superior, Crown Equipment Company, U.S. Pro Painters and others.
“That’s a change for us because we didn’t used to see employers eager for that, but I think they realized that there’s a really good workforce who want to change their lives . ... ,” Donahoe said.
“Our employers are looking for a skilled workforce, and if there’s a skill set to show up to work on time, do their job and add to the positive culture to the environment, then, absolutely, why would we not want to hire them?”