ELEANOR, W.Va. – Job opportunities are on display later this week in Eleanor as the Putnam County Career and Technical Center and Putnam County Development Authority partner for the Hometown Advantage Career Fair on Thursday.
The event connects area employers with skilled workers looking for opportunities. Putnam County Development Authority Executive Director Morganne Tenney said it’s important for young West Virginians to feel like there are opportunities in the state.
“So many young people and even folks my age have left the state because they feel like they need to have a good-paying job outside of West Virginia, or maybe they go to a university outside of the state, and then they never come home,” she said.
Bringing the employers to job seekers is an important step in the process, according to Tenney. She said that in her experience talking to companies in the area, there is always a demand for workers.
“We meet frequently with existing businesses located in Putnam County and around the state, and they all have the same need. They all need a skilled workforce,” she said.
One takeaway that the organizers of the fair want is a clear one: there are jobs in West Virginia. Putnam County Career and Technical Center Director CD Caldwell said one of the biggest things that they can do is communicate with people looking for opportunities.
“The jobs are here. The jobs are around us. Part of our job is helping find these students jobs and how to find post-secondary education for the jobs they want,” he said.
For this year, the career fair is extended another hour to run from 5 pm to 8 pm on Thursday. Tenney said last year the crowd grew to the point that they wanted to make sure everyone got a chance to participate, and Caldwell added that the technical center’s classrooms will be open for young people interested in classes.
He said the partnership with the development authority has allowed them to make the impact even bigger.
“We’ve turned this into a community event that’s good for everyone in our region, just not Putnam County,” he said.
The Hometown Advantage Career Fair begins at 5 pm on Thursday at the Putnam County Career and Technical Center in Eleanor.