Rangewide job, career Fair set for Saturday

Individuals and students searching for employment, a career change or information on future career choices will benefit by attending the Rangewide Job/Career Fair set for Saturday.

Velda Sclafani, community development coordinator of the Gogebic Ontonagon Community Action Agency, and Jon Parker, of State Farm Insurance Agency, organized the event.

A lot of times people aren’t actively searching for new jobs, or employers aren’t advertising open positions, Sclafani said, but when a job fair is held people “come out of the woodwork.”

Sclafani works to create jobs in the area by recruiting businesses and helping small businesses, and this is the third community career fair she’s organized.

Parker has organized one career fair in the past, and the two decided to team up to host this year’s event.

The previous fairs “had very good success,” Sclafani said, with around 130 to 180 at each job fair.

“The first two were called Gogebic but we’re calling it Rangewide this year because we wanted to expand it,” Sclafani said, hoping to draw more people from Iron County, Wis., and Ontonagon County as well.

Sclafani said 28 companies have signed up so far to host a table or provide information to individuals who are looking for work or new careers.

She added that the purpose of the event is not to just connect individuals with jobs, but to allow community members to network and collaborate with each other, so that the area can grow as a community.

“It has to be an unified effort,” she said. “We’re trying to keep the youth in the areas. We need to get businesses up here. When you get people together and you network, anything can happen.”

Michigan Works will also attend the fair to assist people with signing up for the Michigan Talent Bank.

Vendors have until Thursday to register for the event and can register with Sclafani at 906-667-0283 ext. 20.

The fair will be held 9 a.m. to noon at the Gogebic Community College Lindquist Center in Ironwood Township.