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Taft Promise Neighborhood job fair is Thursday
YOUNGSTOWN
Job seekers will have the chance to meet with employers and educators Thursday during the Taft Promise Neighborhood’s fall jobs fair.
The Taft Promise Neighborhood, TPN Jobs and Economy Council and Organizacion Civica y Cultural Hispana Americana will host a job fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at OCCHA’s headquarters, 3660 Shirley Road.
OCCHA’s headquarters is serviced by the Western Reserve Transit Authority buses 15-Struthers and 16-Buckeye.
Jonathan Bentley, executive director of Taft Promise Neighborhood, hopes attendees will leave with leads or offers from potential employers.
“Our focal point is actual job opportunities,” Bentley said. “We want people who attend to at least leave with information that could lead them to a new job or training program, and hopefully leave with an offer.”
There will be 20 employers and career/education training organizations present during the job fair, and the Youngstown office of Community Legal Aid also will have representatives on site to help job seekers navigate legal barriers preventing their employment.
Past job fairs have drawn more than 200 attendees.
The TPN job fair also emphasizes “felon friendly” employers.
Dionne Dowdy, executive director of the United Returning Citizens Inc., said on top of helping workers with felonies re-integrate into society, there are additional benefits for employers who hire those with felonies.
“There’s a tax incentive for the employers to take on these workers, so we want to provide an avenue for that hiring to occur,” Dowdy said.
In the weeks before the job fair, the TPN also hosted a series of classes aimed at improving job seekers’ resume writing skills and their “soft skills” – skills necessary to hold down a job, such as punctuality and proper dress – for free. “The classes essentially teach the basics of professionalism,” Bentley said.