INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — College job fairs are a common sight this time of year. Potential employers are looking to recruit from higher education's graduating class, but a job fair in Independence on Tuesday was made up not of 22-year-olds, but more like those around 18. It was a job fair for graduating high school students who are looking to enter the workforce once school lets out in a few weeks.
"A hiring fair for graduating seniors from our Greater Cleveland area high schools, for them to have an opportunity to go right into the workforce after high school," said Tippi Foley of the Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio, which put together the job fair matching around two dozen employees with the students from across the region in one location.
"Because the employers are short in the areas where they work as well, so to give them this opportunity together and try to consolidate into one event, provides an opportunity for both of them," Foley said.
Among those on hand was Mark Hornyak from Terracon, an engineering consulting company who spoke of the need to cast a wider net in looking for future employees.
"We're in the construction industry, and most of the construction industry is lacking enough workers at this time," he said. When asked if a high school job fair would have been on their radar, say, ten years ago, he said, "Definitely not. Yeah, this is new."
The Bureau of Labor Statistics said that as of late last year, there are .7 people available for every open job that is out there. David Gregg of asphalt producer Kokosing Materials Inc said he can relate to that.
"Unfortunately, the times that we're in here as far as workforce, there's a lot of shortages, and it's tough to keep team members or get team members, and as we continue to grow there is that need, and we're always searching," Gregg said. "From ten years ago, which I've been with the company 11 years, it was hard to get in," he said of the difficulty then of landing a job versus now.
Mike Walter from the Cement Mason Local 404 Apprenticeship Program said it was the same in his industry. "That's the complete opposite now, our apprenticeship. We're looking all of the time for young men and women to come in, and it's open to everyone now," Walter said.
His program is among those that caught the eye of East Tech High School Senior Mikele Jones. "Ultimately, it's the hands-on work, I don't want to work a job where you know you just put on work and don't see it ... a job where you don't see the progress. I want to see the fruits of my labor," he said. "I can see the work, and if I'm doing something wrong, I can improve on it. That's what really interested me, the hands-on work and actually seeing my craft being built."
The employers at the job fair aren't the only ones getting creative. Just a few weeks ago, anchor Katie Ussin reported on a novel approach to attract women into the trades.
RELATED: Cleveland Builds prepares first all-female cohort for a career in the skilled trades
