It couldn’t be a nicer morning at the Porterville College job fair on Quad Tuesday. Dozens of booths and tables are set up for recruitment and interviews for local jobs, as well as information and employment opportunities from more than 44 employers.
There were employers from financial services, local hospitals and health services, colleges and universities, employment services, the military, technology, and a few agricultural employers such as a dairy and a juice manufacturing company.
Imagine Art Center representatives said they were looking to hire new employees and were talking to people, providing information, and taking contact information.
“It’s such a pleasure to be here on the PC campus and see all the opportunities our community has to offer,” said Erin Ortega, communications technology officer for Burton County School District. “Today, we brought our seniors (Summit Collegiate High School) to enjoy the Computer Career Fair.”
Regan Dozier, director of the PC Title V Program, said high school students asked if they had “loan forgiveness” in PC when they were asking questions about the different courses and degrees offered in PC, and she said they were asking great questions.
The large job fair was coordinated by PC, Tulare County Workforce Investment Board Recruitment Coordinator Monica Andrade, and Porterville Adult School.
Eagle Mountain Casino was interviewing for jobs right away and there was a long line of people waiting their turn. They interviewed a large number of people by the end of the day.
Kuubix Energy, a solar installer, was hiring and their representative was providing information about the business. They have 3 subsidiaries in California and Texas, and are a growing, full-featured company.
OACYS Technologies, a local internet provider, was hiring, said Bryce Telfer, sales and marketing coordinator. They have been in business for over 40 years and are highly recognized in Porterville and the surrounding communities.
“It’s generally very interesting, and I love the variety here and the atmosphere. Everyone is talking to each other and having conversations. I’ve been really interested in working with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office,” said Alyssa Rivera, who teaches courses in the administration of justice. With Vanessa Rios.
“I really liked the (Porterville Unified School District) after-school program, and I loved that they talked to me in person,” said Alyna Gonzalez.
Paul Alderete of PUSD Nutrition was with Felisha Maldonado and Nancy Salcedo at the PUSD booth and they were talking to people about the various job opportunities available in the area, whether full time, part time or on call. People were excited and interested.
Juan Aguilar said he found it interesting that there were so many job opportunities available.
Mary Ochoa was at the job fair with a friend and said, “This is a great opportunity. You can access a lot of work in one place. The weather is great to enjoy the fair.”
A representative from the Porterville Development Center said there were many positions available and there was great interest from the public.
There were a lot of people at the job fair, and the turnout was really good. Porterville police and other law enforcement agencies have also been there. The gallery was larger and more spread out in the quad making it easier to visit each establishment and employer.
The great thing about a job fair is that not only did people get great information about job opportunities, but they also got to network together, said Cody Ridnor, PC Veterans Services associate consultant. He said he also hopes to start a transitional veterans guidance to help veterans who have just come out of the military.