Career Fair Gives Tongue Point Job Corps Students a Head Start
Tongue Point Job Corps, Clatsop Community College, and 70 local businesses worked together to host a Job and education fair for more than 800 high school students and adult job seekers.
“We have employers here now who are hiring, says Director of Clatsop County Economic Development Resources Kevin Leahy. “We also have opportunities to talk about different vocational occupations.”
Tongue Point Job Corps Center (Astoria, Oregon) was there demonstrating that these vocational occupations can also be fun. Tongue Point had popular booths with hands-on demonstrations from their welding, seamanship, landscaping, and carpentry training programs.
“You Know they have a lot of hands-on items to show,” says Jim Servino who’s the membership director of the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce. “Very hands-on demonstrations like things with flames and fun things like hammering. That’s always good to have hands-on activities to get kids drawn in. But, also to find out about the [Job Corps] program itself.”
The event is a great opportunity to introduce Job Corps to others.
“A lot of people,” says Tongue Point Job Corps student Travis White, “come to each one of the stations and sign up for Job Corps or sign up to receive information like pamphlets about Job Corps.”
Kevin Leahy adds, “It’s nice to see that students are interested in possibly going to Job Corps to further their education. Tongue Point Job Corps is showing the different occupations you can study, so that you can have wonderful wages and a great future.”
The students also connected with employers and looked into possible future jobs.
“There are a number of employers here who are looking for immediate help. And, it’s a good opportunity for the students to come in and begin talking directly to the businesses in Clatsop County,” says Jim Servino.
And, Andrew Fick, a counselor at Astoria High School, says, “Just knowing what’s going on in the community is valuable; networking also. I’ve seen a lot of students who are interviewing or are picking up job applications, which is great.”
