St. Joseph County Job Fair returns

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the St. Joseph County Job Fair returned Wednesday to Glen Oaks Community College.

More than 55 employers packed into the GOCC gymnasium where they were looking for qualified, talented and diverse applicants.

The fair was an opportunity for job seekers to connect with a number of employers all in one location, said Valorie Juergens, executive director of communications and marketing at Glen Oaks. The event was moved to afternoon hours to accommodate those who may be more available to attend later in the day, she said.

Among those to attend were GOCC sophomore Alexis Clemens and Kailey Orton, a student at Constantine High School who is dual enrolled at GOCC. The Journal caught up with them while they were speaking to Sergeant Alan Oosterbaan of the recruiting and selection unit of Michigan State Police. Orton said she’d be interested in police work if she wasn’t already going into the nursing field. She was using the fair to see what her options could be if nursing doesn’t work out, she said.

Oosterbaan said he was looking to fill positions all over the state, especially for the commercial vehicle enforcement division, however job seekers at Wednesday’s fair probably would mostly be interested in positions at the Niles or Marshall posts. He said Michigan State Police is looking to get about 30 people into its January academy. There’s no degree or experience required, he said.

“We provide all the training,” Oosterbaan said. “We’re just looking for quality people who are willing to do the job.”

Meanwhile, Staff Sgt. Alicia Young and Sgt. Patrick Hargis, of the Michigan Army National Guard, also were hoping Wednesday to find qualified, eager community members to serve the country. Those who join get tuition paid at Glen Oaks, Young said. Hargis mentioned he also enjoys the job fairs because he can network with other employers. He spends about half of his time speaking with them, he said.

Colton Eby, youth program coordinator at Amigo Center in Sturgis, also was at the job fair looking for summer staff. Since the pandemic, participation numbers have been down at camp, he said. In a typical summer, the camp would be looking to fill about 20-25 positions. This summer, they’ll look to fill 12-15. Eby had a display of camp photos and books and was making some connections, he said.

McKenna Huffstetter and Deborah Hackworth, co-interim executive directors at Domestic and Sexual Abuse Services (DASAS), also were looking to hire five or six people Wednesday to work all shifts inside and out of the agency’s shelter. Early on in the event, the pair said they hadn’t seen too many job seekers yet, but were hoping for more later in the day. Hackworth said working at DASAS would be good job training for anyone going into the service field, no matter their specific area. You’ll always encounter someone who might be in need of DASAS’s services, she said. The DASAS directors were joined by Huffstetter’s baby daughter, Corbin.

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: news-St. Joseph County Job Fair-Glen Oaks Community College