By Rita Howell
“If we build it, they will come.”

The North Mississippi Job Fair, happening Thursday, has been “built” and 46 companies, businesses and agencies are set to meet with potential employees from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Batesville Civic Center.

Job opportunities range from nursing to shipbuilding to truck driving. All that’s needed now are interested men and women to fill those jobs.

“Some big businesses are going to be attending,” Governor’s Job Fair Network Director Adam Todd said this week. “We’ve got GE, Caterpillar, Toyota, ACI, Performance Foods. It’s an eclectic group. Anybody could walk in and walk out with opportunity if they fit what the business is looking for.”

And if job seekers are lacking skills for the positions they seek, there will be help available to them. WIN Job Center and Northwest Community College representatives will be on hand to offer assistance for additional training, Todd said.

“Sometimes they just need to take a certain test (to qualify for a specific job),” Todd said. “We can get them set to get ready for that. We can get all of that lined up.”
The process of job application is changing. Many businesses now ask applicants to apply online.
The WIN Job Center’s mobile unit will be in the Civic Center parking lot, loaded with a full staff and computers with Internet connection, meaning job hunters can immediately apply online if the job they seek requires it.
Volunteers from the Panola Partnership, students from the Finch-Henry Job Corps Center, and others will be on hand to assist vendors and those looking for jobs.
What does Todd recommend for those job seekers?
“Come with a good attitude,” he said. “Have a smile on your face. Be ready. You may be interviewed.”
Potential employers
The list of vendors registered for Thursday’s Job Fair includes: Ace Training Center, ACI Building Systems, Amdata Tax Education and Business Solutions, Aramark Higher Education, Avon, Batesville Tooling and Design, Caterpillar, City of Jackson, Crown Cork and Seal, Dodges Stores, EMI Staffing Services Inc., Express Employment Professionals, FEUER Powertrain North America, GE Aviation, HTI Employment Solutions, Insituform, Kelly Services, KLLM, Lowes, Management and Training/Marshall County Correctional Facility, MDES/Batesville WIN Job Center, Merit Health Batesville, Minact, Inc./Finch Henry Job Corps Center, Minact, Inc./ Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks Job Corps Center, Mississippi State University Alternate Route Teacher Education, MS National Guard, MSU Center for Distance Education, Performance Food Group, Schulz Xtruded Products, Select Staffing, South Delta Planning and Development District, TG Missouri Corporation TGMS Mississippi Plant, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.
For additional information or help with resumes, contact the Batesville WIN Job Center, 563-7318.