Mon Valley Job Fair set to return for 14th year
An event that began in 2002 to help connect residents with jobs will return this year in the Mon Valley.
The 14th annual Mon Valley Job Fair, hosted by Pennsylvania CareerLink Mon Valley, will be held noon-4 p.m. Oct. 6 in the Willow Room, Rostraver Township.
According to Linda Jack, CareerLink program supervisor, last year’s event drew 28 companies with more than 500 job openings and 250 job seekers.
To prepare attendees, CareerLink will hold a series of four seminars at the Donora office, located at 570 Galiffa Drive in Donora. These include resume writing workshop, 1 p.m. Sept. 8; successful interviewing, 10:30 a.m. Sept. 15; resume writing, 1 p.m. Sept. 22; and professional resume day, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 29.
This year’s planning team for the job fair includes the Bureau of Workforce Partnership and Operations, Community Action Southwest, the Mon Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority, the Mon Valley NAACP, Pennsylvania CareerLink Mon Valley, Southwest Training Services, Washington Greene Job Training Agency and new this year Greater Rostraver Chamber of Commerce.
Public transit service will be provided for all wishing to attend the job fair. Riders can get on a Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority bus anywhere in the valley and tell the driver they are bound for the job fair. They will travel to Donora, where a shuttle will take them to the Willow Room between 11:45 a.m. and 4:20 p.m.
Monongahela Valley Hospital is a “gold supporter” of the fair, said Jack.
“They’ve been a strong supporter since the beginning,” Jack said.
This will be the final year for the job fair at the current location, after officials from the Willow Room announced its closure early this year, stating that all scheduled commitments will be honored through the end of the year.
Officials from Mon Valley Careerlink are in the process of finding a new location for 2017, according to Jack.