Hundreds attend prison job fair
LUZERNE TWP. – Job security, a short commute, good benefits and competitive wages are just some of the reasons people are giving for applying for jobs at the new state prison opening in Luzerne Township. SCI Fayette isn’t scheduled to house inmates until sometime in early 2003, but hundreds of area residents are showing up each day to fill out applications at a prison job fair being held this week at Brownsville Area High School.
Barb Check, 47, of Republic was the second person in line at the job fair Wednesday. She said she wanted someone else to go first to see what the process was like, but once she was through the doors, she had no problems at all.
“They were great. Everyone was just wonderful,” Check said.
Check said a friend talked her into applying for a job at the new prison.
“It just started sounding more and more interesting. There are so many possibilities. My son applied for corrections officer trainee,” Check said.
Check said she is hoping for clerical work, or anything else that might be available.
“I think there’s opportunities for advancement. You could have a future there and retire from there,” Check said.
Check was one of the many applicants who selected about 10 different possible job categories. Keith Francis, 39, of West Brownsville, and Mark Bernot, 27, of Grindstone, were both applying to be corrections officers, but checked other areas as well. They both currently work in Elizabeth and are looking forward to the possibility of a shorter commute.
“It’s close to home. I have a couple of friends who are corrections officers and they seem to be doing OK,” Francis said.
Bernot said the application process went smoothly, with the staff members giving helpful information and directions.
Kim Talbert, 43, of Allison is hoping to apply her 20 years experience in warehouse work to employment at the prison. The job openings include warehouse managers and stock clerks.
“This is closer to home for me,” Talbert said.
Melanie Warnick, 30, of Perryopolis, is hoping to be hired in human resources or a clerical position.
“It’s a good job opportunity with good benefits. It’s a reliable job. Something that’s going to be there,” Warnick said.
The job fair, being held by the Department of Corrections in conjunction with the Civil Service Commission and the Pennsylvania Career Link office in Uniontown, runs through Friday at noon. Hours today are from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. for applicants whose Social Security numbers end in seven, eight or nine. From 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. tonight and from 8 a.m. until noon Friday the application process is open to everyone.
There were about 250 applicants during a half-day on Monday and about 600 applicants on both Tuesday and Wednesday. John Evans of the Pennsylvania Career Link office said the total number of applicants is expected to be between 2,000 and 3,000, considerably less than the 5,000 to 7,000 anticipated due to preliminary telephone inquiries. Applications will also be accepted at the Career Link office in Uniontown through June 28, Evans said.
Sheilah Novasky, with state Rep. William DeWeese’s office, was on hand to greet all of the applicants Wednesday, urging them to apply for more than one position within the prison, and to consider the possibility of accepting employment at a facility other than SCI-Fayette.
“I’m here to get people to be flexible and apply for more than one job,” Novasky said.
Novasky noted that the state prison system is unionized, so once a person is hired for one job, they can bid on other positions within the prison system at a later time.
Applicants also have a greater chance of being hired if they are willing to work in Pittsburgh, Greensburg, Waynesburg or Somerset, since a number of current Department of Corrections employees will be requesting transfers to the new prison and their old jobs will need to be filled, Evans said.
A number of current corrections officers are stationed throughout the building to answer any questions applicants may have regarding working in a prison.
“The public has a lot of misconceptions about corrections,” said Corrections Officer Judge Benson.
Benson is a Donora native who has worked in state correctional facilities in Camp Hill and Greensburg. Benson said one woman told him she didn’t think she’d be good as a corrections officer because she isn’t tough enough. Benson said that in the current methods of corrections, 98 percent of the work is using your brains, not your brawn.
Benson is one of the current employees seeking a transfer to SCI-Fayette.
“It’s going to be the biggest jail in the state, and I’m used to working in large jails,” Benson said.
SCI-Fayette will house 1,800 to 2,000 inmates. SCI-Greensburg houses about 800 inmates.
Gary Patterson, a 1993 graduate of Brownsville Area High School, also works at SCI-Greensburg and is considering a transfer to SCI-Fayette.
“It’s something new, opening it up. There’s a lot of movement in a big facility, with more opportunity for promotions,” Patterson said.
Patterson said he would encourage applicants to be willing to accept assignments in other facilities in the region.
“A lot of it is the benefit of job security. The benefits and the pay are good,” Patterson said. “I’ve encouraged a lot of people to check it out. It can’t hurt,” Patterson said.
Novasky said the only time during the day when applicants are actually waiting in line seems to be the first thing in the morning.
“We have had in each of the first three days 100 people come through in the first half hour,” Novasky said.
Applicants are greeted and directed to a variety of informational rooms where they can ask about the various jobs available in the prison. Once they decide which positions they are interested in, the applicants head to the high school cafeteria to fill out job applications. The applications are then reviewed by Civil Service Commission and Department of Corrections staff members for completeness and appropriateness.
“We have been evaluating their applications for job titles that require a written Civil Service examination,” said Howard Adler of the Civil Service Commission. “In cases where the people aren’t qualified, we direct them toward other job titles.”
Adler said about 20 to 30 percent of the applicants need to be redirected to positions more suited to their qualifications, but there is generally something for most everyone to apply for. Applicants must be Pennsylvania residents and corrections officer applicants must be 21 at the time of application. Some jobs require special certifications, such as teaching positions, medical positions and other specialized jobs.
Gregory Strayer, with the Bureau of Correction Education, said teaching positions inside the prison offer highly competitive salaries and he’s getting a number of applicants.
“It’s people who graduated six to 10 years ago, but for some reason didn’t go into education, or people who have been substitute teaching for a while,” Strayer said.
Strayer said vocational education instructors can come straight from the trades, not the classroom, if they are willing to complete an 18-credit certification program.
Regina Schappell, a Human Resources Analyst for the Department of Corrections, said she was pleased with the quality of the applicants.
“They seem to be good,” Schappell said. “Usually we have a problem getting enough clerk/typists who can pass the typing test.”
The test requires applicants to type at least 40 words per minute. The test will be administered in the fall.
“One of the things with the Department of Corrections that you don’t have in other areas is you have to pass a criminal background check. If you’ve committed a felony, you can’t work for the Department of Corrections,” Schappell said.