Businesses surprised by unexpected large crowd

By KEVIN CHIRI

Editor and Publisher

LAPLACE – The worst kept secret in the River Parishes is that many employers are looking for workers.

But it was a bit of a surprise on Wednesday night at the Quality Inn, where Dupont joined with Career Builders, to sponsor a job fair, and over 500 people showed up.

“We just didn’t expect this many people,” Manager of Community Based Initiatives Juanita Coleman said. “We already ran out of 500 applications we had brought.”

The event was put on as a way to connect many employers with potential workers, since the post-Katrina era has left a large void of enough qualified labor in the region.

But the huge turnout, which jammed the halls at the Quality Inn, made it clear that among the workers in the region, many are still looking for something better.

“The number of workers we will be needing in the near future is staggering,” Terry Simmons, director of work force initiatives said. “We will need 4,000 healthcare workers, 5,000 in the petroleum-chemical industry, and the same kind of numbers in construction and other areas.”

While Simmons agreed that the mere lack of bodies for the many jobs in the region is a problem, he said an equally critical situation is getting the labor in the area properly trained.

“We have a gap between the skills needed, and the education level of many workers,” he said. “65 percent of the jobs in this area require some additional, specialized training. But our research shows only 9 percent of the workers in the area are pursuing any of that training.”

Guy Tenini, plant manager for Dupont, has long been pushing that exact agenda, already working with high schools, and the local technical colleges, to get more students into that training.

“We’ve been saying it all along, and it’s still the case,” he said. “We have to find the way to get these kids prepared for whatever career they decide they want. This job fair isn’t just about helping Dupont. It’s about helping the entire area, and helping these kids make sure they come out of school ready to take some of these jobs.”

Tenini has said in previous interviews that he foresees a need for as many as 5,000 workers for regional industry in the next five years, due in part to expansions, and many older workers retiring.

The people who showed up on Wednesday night were in various situations, some whom were finally getting booted out of the FEMA trailer parks they had been in for over two years, and others just looking to better their current situation.

“I’m living in a FEMA trailer park now and I work security at the park,’ Michelle Brown said. “When the parks close next March, I have to have a job so I’m hoping this will help me out.”

Christopher Johnson of LaPlace works in the real estate field currently, but said he is always looking for a better opportunity.

“There are a lot of people like me who don’t have industry skills,” he said. “So I’m trying to see what skills I have that might get me a better job from what is being offered here tonight.”

Simmons agreed that the bigger picture won’t be solved with one job fair, but he said it is a start.

“We’re not fixing the problem tonight, but this is a small step towards that end,” he said. “We need to look five to 10 years down the road and do things now to prepare. We just need people willing to get the right training for these jobs.”