AOMC’s First Manufacturing Job Fair a SUCCESS
On February 7, 2024, the Appalachian Ohio Manufacturers’ Coalition (AOMC) held its first Manufacturing Job Fair Tour in Athens, Ohio. Sponsored by Ohio Means Jobs of Athens County and supported by Project RISE, FuturePlans, Building Bridges to Careers, and Ohio University, this event provided the opportunity for job seekers of Athens County and manufacturers of Appalachia to meet and discuss employment opportunities in the manufacturing sector.
Over 200 job seekers, many of them Athens-area graduating high school seniors, attended the event and were pleased at the opportunity to learn about manufacturing careers. A total of 27 organizations — 14 companies, 9 service providers, and 4 institutions of higher education/training — were on hand to meet with job seekers and offer manufacturing employment opportunities.
Representatives from the participating organizations were enthusiastic about the event and the hiring opportunities that it presented to manufacturers who need workers to fill numerous job openings. Adrian Hartman of Rocky Brands, Inc. noted that the event “provided a bigger variety of potential candidates to choose from to fill manufacturing roles,” while Chris Picha of the Ohio Department of Veterans’ Services pointed out that the event was very relevant for his organization, which “offers free customized training to employers seeking to hire veterans...”
Linn Yost, president of Micro Machine Works, Inc. in Barlow, Ohio, stated that “When Appalachian employers consider where our employees live, we quickly realize that most of them travel for an hour or more to get to work. It only makes sense that we broaden our search to reach the individuals who are seeking a job.” That’s the reason for the Manufacturing Job Fair Tour — to broaden opportunities for job seekers and potential employers to meet and share manufacturing career information.
According to Joe Frazier, Director of Area 14 Workforce Development Board, "this was a true collaboration between many community partners, leading to a positive outcome. The AOMC Manufacturing Job Fair Tour was born out of a conversation between several workforce development professionals, seeking to promote in-demand manufacturing careers, to our local students and job seekers. This job fair was truly a success, and I look forward to the potential growth and ability to serve other communities in our area."
In a recent survey conducted by AOMC and Building Bridges 2 Careers, students expressed that they were not aware of all the manufacturing opportunities in our area and would like to go on plant tours and listen to guest speakers explaining what their companies do. Many of the students exposed to the Job Fair Tour were surprised that the Tour changed their preconceived notions about manufacturing careers. The opportunities were new to them. As noted by AOMC’s George Bilokonsky, “Many of our students don’t know what they don’t know.” He added that by taking the Manufacturing Job Fair Tour on the road, AOMC is able to inform students and the general public about the great employment opportunities in Appalachia. In addition, the companies participating in the Tour got a chance to tell their story and select candidates to fill their job openings.
AOMC’s goal is to take this tour into various counties of Appalachia so that those seeking work can learn about all the little-known manufacturing career opportunities in this region. Our next stop will be Noble County – more information to come.
