03/19/2012
KVCC Hosts Kalamazoo Career Fair on March 21
Top employers will come together to meet face to face with applicants for hundreds of available jobs during the March 21 Kalamazoo Career Fair at the Texas Township campus of Kalamazoo Valley Community College. More than 90 employers with a wide variety of current job openings are participating. The event runs from 2 to 7 p.m. and will include breakout sessions entitled “Not Your Grandpa’s Machine Shop,” at 3:30 and 5:30 p.m.
Panelists for the breakout sessions include: Kim Davies, Site Safety Manager from Flowserve; Dave Maurer, CFO and Vice President of Operations for Humphrey Products; Dawn Degregario, first-line supervisor at American Axel and Manufacturing; and Jim Sertic President of Accroseal. The panelists will discuss the wide variety of high-paying careers that are available in the manufacturing field and the basic skills that are needed for these positions. They will also discuss the more than 200 job openings that are now available locally.
Career fair visitors who attend the breakout session will also learn about the new Kalamazoo Valley Groves Center Production Technician Academy and Associate degree programs which will prepare them for these exciting careers.
The college has hosted an Employment Expo for a number of years, but this year the college is teaming up with the Southwest Michigan Advanced Manufacturing Career Consortium and Mlive Media Group.
Consortium member David Maurer is CFO and VP of Operations for Kalamazoo’s 110-year-old Humphrey Products company. He said he thinks the Consortium and its efforts, including the Career Fair, are a boon to the area. “We have always felt that having a strong foundation of local manufacturers and a skilled and engaged manufacturing workforce was the finest economic development plan ever conceived,” Maurer said. “We’re thrilled to be associated with initiatives such as this that help to move that message into the forefront and what’s more, make it a reality for this community.”
Diane Finch, Director of Student Career and Employment Services at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, said Career Fair participants who are searching for jobs should bring copies of their resumes, dress for success and be prepared to meet with potential employers. A list of participating employers, video interviews with area employers, tips for job seekers and other details are also available on the Career Fair website at www.kalamazoocareerfair.com. For more information contact Diane Finch at 269-488-4603.
