Clatsop County High Schools Career & Job Fair

At Clatsop Economic Development Resources and Clatsop Community College Small Business Development Center, we work with hundreds of businesses in Clatsop County, and finding and retaining good employees is a constant issue most businesses face at one time or another. An action plan that came out of that meeting was to organize and facilitate a county-wide career & job fair whose target audience is our future, our high school juniors and seniors. We estimate 550 students will be in attendance. Astoria High School, Jewell High School, Knappa High School, Seaside High School and Warrenton High School will all be in attendance at the Clatsop County Fairgrounds CEDR has partnered with the Oregon Employment Department, Pacific Northwest Works and many community volunteers to arrange this great opportunity for our kids, and for our employers. Each high school has been coming to our planning meetings, including principals, vice-principals, business teachers and counselors. This has been a truly collaborative effort, and we are excited to show the students what our business community is all about. Three target areas for employers:

Hiring now for immediate positions or for summer jobs.
Looking for committed and skilled employees to fill career technical, “trades”, vocational, apprenticeship positions in our workforce.
Sharing career options in Clatsop County for our college-bound students, both at Clatsop Community College and four year colleges/universities. Many students are not aware of the diverse positions available in many industries in our own back yard.
This is why this is not just a “job fair”; it is that, and much more.

The set-up of this fair will be similar to a trade show format, with like businesses or “sectors”, together. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED HERE TOO! “SECTOR EXPERTS.” We plan to have volunteers here who are experts in their chosen field, and could also have a table set up for their individual business, and rotate between a company table and an informational table. Volunteers can sign up for a 2.5 hour time slot, or 5 hours, or however much time can be devoted to help out here. The target sectors are: 1) Tourism & Hospitality. 2) Business, Banking, Finance & Professional Services. 3) Seafood Processing & Fishing. 4) Forest & Wood Products. 5) Health Care. 6) Retail. 7) Manufacturing. 8) Law Enforcement. 9) Career Technical, Contracting & Trades. This could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to guide our students through options available to them, both short term and long-term, by our business and educational leaders and owners. To register, go to www.pacnworks.com (link is external) or call Linda Wyss at 503-325-4821 ext. 234, or email Linda at linda.l.wyss@oregon.gov (link sends e-mail). Employers are asked to register as soon as possible as the entire list of employers participating will be provided to the schools in advance. To volunteer as a “sector expert”, call 503-338-2402 or sbdc@clatsopcc.edu