PUHI — A steady stream of job seekers flowed through the Job Fair last week at the Kaua‘i Community College One Stop Center lobby. More than 40 registered employers showcased their job opportunities in an effort coordinated by the WorkWise
PUHI — A steady stream of job seekers flowed through the Job Fair last week at the Kaua‘i Community College One Stop Center lobby.
More than 40 registered employers showcased their job opportunities in an effort coordinated by the WorkWise program and KCC.
“We haven’t had that many people signing up, but they’ve been picking up materials,” said Celeste You, talent acquisition officer for the Kaua‘i Marriott. “We have some casual positions, but we’re really looking for sales people.”
Lorrie Cahill, the event coordinator for KCC, and Eric Nordmeier of WorkWise were constantly engaged in conversations with job seekers and not available for comment.
Kaua‘i’s current unemployment rate is 8.5 percent, not seasonally adjusted and ending March 2011, according to an unemployment report released by the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations on April 15.
This compares with the seasonally adjusted rate of 6.3 percent for the state, down from 6.8 percent last March, but unchanged from February. Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined slightly to 8.8 percent in March from 8.9 percent in February, the report states.
Kaua‘i’s 8.5 percent unemployment rate is a decrease from February’s 8.6 percent and 9 percent of last March. This is compared with 10.8 percent on Moloka‘i and 9.5 percent in Hawai‘i County.
Among those browsing for employment were Lori Nitta and Peggy Granda, Paxen Huli Ke Alo, or the About Face Family of Programs, whose positions were cut by the Department of Human Services earlier this month.
“This feels weird,” Granda told Lahea Salazar, the Paxen Kaua‘i program manager. “I never thought I would be in this situation.”
Salazar said the elimination of programs will have more people being laid off next week, one being Polly Brun-Lee who was also looking for a job.
“I’m just here to support these people,” Salazar said. “My position is also going to be eliminated in June.”
Congresswoman Mazie Hirono, on Kaua‘i for a day, heard about the job fair and decided to spend some time chatting with both job seekers and employers to get a better idea of what is taking place on the island.
Catherine Shortliffe of Connecticut, Allison Rosengren of Michigan and Dominique Ingram of Maryland exchanged their work scrubs for more presentable AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps attire as they manned a table offering information on opportunities with the full-time, team-based residential program for men and women ages 18 to 24.
The trio is part of a 10-member AmeriCorps NCCC group which is on Kaua‘i to work on erecting a 1,500 foot dust fence in ‘Ele‘ele as well as assisting the Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity with its buildings in Lawa‘i and Kekaha.
“We were assembled in Sacramento, Calif., and after one month of training, we were sent out,” said Shortliffe. “We would really like to talk to young people about what they can gain from AmeriCorps.”
The team has been traveling around the Western United States working with nonprofits with activities ranging from assisting with an after-school program with the Boys and Girls Club in North Highlands, Calif., and performing maintenance at Camp Mokule‘ia on O‘ahu for the last month, said Janis Benn of Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity.
Following the tour through the aisles of employers, Granda said she was a little more encouraged than when she came in.
“Maybe I’ll become a police officer,” she said. “They’re looking for people and said I could get a position inside the office, or one where it won’t be so dangerous.”
