U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, R-IN, in conjunction with Purdue University Fort Wayne and WorkOne Northeast, hosted a job fair Aug. 16 in the university’s International Ballroom at Walb Student Union.
“Employers are facing a major worker shortage across nearly every industry,” said Banks. “Our annual event has had a lot of success connecting prospective workers with good-paying jobs.”
Seventy-five employers with a total of more than 1,000 job openings attended. The employers spanned a variety of industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, government, finance, retail, transportation and logistics, and professional, scientific and technical services.
Representatives of higher education institutions were also on hand for those people interested in furthering their education. Among the institutions: Purdue Fort Wayne, Indiana Wesleyan and Indiana Tech.
The job fair is one of the largest in northeast Indiana.
“With the national unemployment rate near its lowest level in 50 years, employers are battling for the highly skilled, high-quality candidates Purdue Fort Wayne is sending out into the workforce each year,” said Chancellor Ron Elsenbaumer, Purdue University Fort Wayne. “Since 2003, we’ve been proud to host on our campus this opportunity for all job seekers and businesses of the region to explore the future connections that will continue to drive the growth of northeast Indiana.”
In addition to the job opportunities presented at the fair, WorkOne Northeast representatives were available to assist job seekers with resumes, provide guidance on job interview techniques, and offer information on short-term, certification-based training opportunities.
“As of August 1, there were 11,850 online job postings in northeast Indiana,” said Edmond O’Neal, president and CEO of Northeast Indiana Works, which oversees the region’s WorkOne Northeast career centers. “This job fair affords an opportunity to fill some of those jobs for the unemployed, underemployed, or those simply looking for a career change.”