Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce to host job fair
FORT SCOTT, Kan. -- Local residents seeking work will have the opportunity to talk with several businesses about potential employment at a job fair scheduled for Wednesday.
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a job fair from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton.
FSACC Executive Director Lindsay Madison said the idea for the job fair came from a local business owner following the Rapid Response event held in mid-March after Topco Laminates Corp. closed. The event hosted by the Southeast KANSASWORKS organization was geared toward finding employment for the 21 workers left without a job. Madison said the event was successful and the chamber was approached about hosting a job fair.
"At that meeting, one of the local companies that was there has asked me, 'have you guys ever done a job fair,'" she said. "We just pursued it from there."
The job fair is open to all job-seekers including community applicants, high school and college students. Madison said that she hopes it will be successful and help the community learn more about companies in Fort Scott and available employment opportunities.
"Sometimes we hear that there aren't any jobs here, but when you go to actually ask the local companies, they really are hiring," she said.
Madison sent invitations to the area's larger employers and sought business interest from the community through advertisements on the radio as well as the FSACC weekly and quarterly newsletters. She said she hoped to get six to eight businesses, and as of Friday, seven businesses had signed up to participate.
Local companies participating in the job fair include Mercy Health Center, Firstsource Solutions USA, Mid-Continental Restoration, Peerless Products, Walmart, Aveda Concepts Salon (Courtland Hotel and Day Spa) and First Presbyterian Church.
Among the seven companies participating, about 20 jobs are available ranging from data entry to medical assistants and business managers, and electricians. Job-seekers are encouraged to "dress for success" according to a flyer for the event, as well as to bring multiple resume copies.
Madison said she has often referred to the job fair as the "spring job fair" because if it proves successful, the FSACC would likely hold another in the fall. She added, the hope is that the job fair could be held at least annually.
"I thought that if we did have good success at this job fair ... it could be something that we hold annually if not maybe twice a year," she said. "We'll just have to see how this one goes."