The fourth annual Veterans and Community Job and Resource Fair held last Thursday at the CareerForce location on West Broadway was one of dozens of hiring events hosted by CareerForce around the state during the month of September.
September is Workforce Development Month in Minnesota, a time to raise awareness about the work of CareerForce, which is Minnesota's official career exploration and job search resource. Staff at more than 50 CareerForce locations across the state help job seekers prepare for and find employment – all at no fee to those looking for work.
As one example, Minneapolis CareerForce locations on West Broadway and East Lake Street were buzzing in September with many job seekers visiting their Career Labs, coming in for one-on-one appointments and participating in resume and job interview workshops. At the CareerForce Minneapolis South location on East Lake Street, Avivo and the City of Minneapolis Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs held regular office hours throughout the month to further serve the community. Events at the CareerForce Minneapolis North location included an in-person Start Your Own Business workshop, a New Leaf workshop for job seekers with a criminal record and of course the Veterans and Community Job and Resource Fair .
Roughly 200 job seekers turned out for that event on September 26, with many job seekers mentioning they had set up a follow up meeting with an employer before leaving the event. Children's Minnesota has already hired two people their representative met at the fair. Another employer representative at the fair, from Brin Glass Company, remarked “The atmosphere was friendly and welcoming, with lots of people finding useful information and potential job leads. Overall, the event showed the power of community and the importance of supporting those who have served our country. It was an honor to be part of such a meaningful event and to see the positive impact it had on everyone involved.”
Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Matt Varilek and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey also stopped by the job and resource fair, which was kicked off by a presentation of the colors by the JROTC Color Guard from Cretin-Derham Hall High School.
