DALLAS, N.C. — Venture Church in Gaston County announced that they will hold a career expo fair next Wednesday.
The church said they saw a need in the community for employees and figured the expo would be a way to help local businesses.
“I’m always calling these businesses behind me asking them to donate money to the Boys & Girls Club of America to fund their staff and their program, and as I was doing it, I kept hearing from them about the needs they have and the struggles they have,” Austin Rammell, lead pastor at Venture Church, said.
That struggle is the challenge to fill job openings amid what is being called "The Great Resignation."
The church decided to host a career expo, bringing together businesses ranging from health care to government agencies and more with jobs ranging from entry-level to management.
Rammell said within a three-mile radius of the church building, the poverty rate is 50% higher than the national average. The career expo is a way to help those in the community find not only a job but a career.
Rammell said he asked these questions when organizing: “How do we both answer the mission of providing resources into our community, trying to break the cycle of poverty? How do we help raise the bar for income? As well as, how do we help the businesses that are there to do that? So, putting these two together and benefitting the Boys & Girls Club was this vision.”
Entry-level jobs all the way to upper-level management jobs will all be available.
- TSA
- SC Johnson, Sonitrol
- Cintas
- Rankin Components
- CaroMont Health
- Rochling
- Gaston County Government
- Gardner-Webb University
- Mannington Mills
- Personnel Services Unlimited
- HTI, Price Brothers
- 84 Lumber
- Charlotte Dentistry
- Gaston College
- FleetNet
- The Gastonia Police Department
- The Boys
- Girls Club of America
“This is the best job market that this country has seen in my lifetime, and I’m 48-years-old,” Rammell said. “And so we’re trying to tell people, ‘Listen, if you’re stuck at a job you don’t like, or you’re thinking about a career move, or you resigned last year, now’s the best time literally ever to get into the job market.’”
CaroMont Health will be one of the employers present, looking for doctors and nurses, as well as IT, support services, and other positions.
“If we get just one or two of those folks, then it will be a successful event for us,” Brandon Love, employee relations manager for CaroMont Health, said.
Love said CaroMont is working to retain the employees it has while also recruiting new ones with competitive pay, sign-on bonuses and benefits.
“There’s a nursing shortage and health care worker shortage, so that’s playing into it,” Love said. “Obviously, COVID has amplified that, and then also we’re competing with two large systems in Charlotte, and so we’re all kind of fighting for the same person.”
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is trying to recruit 20 to 30 officers at the career expo ahead of spring break travel.
“We’re looking to beef up the staff to continue to offer that world-class service that the public deserves,” Joe Padilla, assistant federal security director for mission support with TSA, said.
Nick Tecco, an account manager with Cintas, said Cintas is growing in the Charlotte region and will be at the career expo to recruit new employees.
“At an expo, it gives us time to meet somebody,” Tecco said. “Time to talk to them. Time to get them face-to-face, see what they’re all about, and that’s really what’s important to us.”
Pastor Rammell emphasized this is not just about finding a job, but about starting a career.
“You’re going to meet companies that are here to offer you a career,” Rammell said. “Something that’s going to sustain your family, and something that’s going to give you an opportunity to grow and continue elevating your family’s finances.”
The Career Expo will be from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Feb. 23 at Venture Church in Dallas, which is located at 800 E Main St.
The expo will also include Torres Taqueria and SkyView 22 food trucks on-site. Anyone who submits a resume, fills out a job application, or completes an interest form at a participating business will be eligible for a free meal of their choice from any of the food trucks.
Contact Kendall Morris at kmorris2@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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