Job-seekers, including those wondering if the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale oil explorationi will benefit them, will have the opportunity to find out for themselves beginning next week.
The Southwest Mississippi Community College Workforce Training Center and Pike County Economic Development District is sponsoring a series of job fairs in McComb and elsewhere.
The job fair serves two fundamental functions. It shows the community what kind of jobs can be found in the region and it helps the college understand what kind of skills need to be taught in the classroom.
“We come to understand from these fairs what companies are looking for, what kind of skills they need. Then we talk with the college about implementing programs that gives them this kind of experience,” economic development district executive director Wayne Sterling said.
“It can be a mutually beneficial arrangement for years to come,” he said.
Pike National Bank and the Workforce Training Center will co-sponsor a series of resumé building and interview workshops as well, to be held a week before the fairs.
Workforce Training Center director Wendy Smith encourages would be job-seekers to attend the pre-fair workshop to draft or update their resume and learn valuable interviewing skills and other skills.
“We teach citizens on how to dress for an interview, what kind of questions can be expected from employers and we help them research the company they might be interested in,” Smith said. “It’s a great way to learn what to do, and what not to do when you talk to these businesses.”
Both Smith and Sterling said they expect the population in Southwest Mississippi to increase with the TMS play. This means more jobs for the community.
“We are seeing a slow buildup of TMS jobs. It’s impossible to say for certain, but it’s likely this will mean more jobs in manufacturing, distribution and mining,” Sterling said.
Smith pointed out that as the population increases, the need for services increases across the board.
“This is not just about the TMS. There are jobs many don’t link to the TMS that will be necessary in the near future. Anytime the population increases, the need for services increases. This includes retail, restaurant and hotel jobs,” Smith said.
Some of the companies that plan to be at the fair include CMS Consultants LLC., who is involved in workforce housing, International Paper, Summit Plastics, Newpark Drilling, Sanderson Farms, Tractor Supply and more.
Smith said she continues to update the registration list and said she will have additional booths at the fair to accommodate employers.
“We’re hoping that once we advertise in the paper, we’ll see a good employer turnout,” Smith said.
Smith and Sterling both said they have been receiving numerous phone calls from companies interested in hiring or training workers.
One of these companies, Newpark Drilling, contacted Smith to tell her they were interested in hiring 12 employees for their Summit plant.
The first workshop will be held at the Martin Luther King Center in McComb from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30. This session will help prepare job-seekers for the job fair, which will be held at the same site a week later on Nov. 6.
Another workshop will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4 in Magnolia at the South Pike Career Technical Center. The job fair will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11 at the South Pike High School Coliseum.
The sponsors of the fair plan to have job fairs in Centreville, Summit and Tylertown as well.
