Companies in need of workers and workers in need of jobs came together Thursday in the second annual Harlan County Job Fair at the Harlan Center. From teenagers to adults nearing retirement age, Harlan Countians seeking jobs were able to mill around approximately 20 tables where potential employers were set up.

Harlan County’s unemployment rate of around 7.4 percent is approximately twice that of the state average.

“We’re here to try to help our unemployed or underemployed citizens of Harlan County find sustainable employment,” said Jill Blevins, workforce coordinator for the Harlan County Community Action Agency, one of the groups that helped put together the fair. “This is one of the biggest job fairs we’ve had. We have quite a few here today.”

Harlan County High School teacher Robin Sanders leads a career option class at the school and brought several students to the job fair. Members of the HCHS Gear Up organization also attended.

“I think it’s good for them to have opportunities to talk with people. There is no parent here to do this for them. They are able to walk up and speak to the employers themselves,” Sanders said. “This is great experience for them. They get to see a real-world event today.”

“I think it’s great. You pull all the businesses together, and everyone here is hiring,” said Rod Raleigh of Heartland Solutions, one of the largest employers at the job fair. The local office was formerly known as Data Futures before joining the national company. “The turnout here has been great. Working with the schools and colleges has been great. Our company is computer tech, so a lot in the younger generation are into the that.”

Raleigh said Heartland was a Fortune 1,000 company with 200 employed in the school solutions division. Global Payments is the parent company with over 10,000 employees.

“It’s nice to have that on your resume, even if it’s a temporary position or part-time job,” he said. “We provide computer software for school nutrition departments. We track everything they send in at the end of the month for their reimbursement. We have four million parents using our online presence.”

Raleigh said the local office would be hiring 30 employees for the summer.

“Traditionally, we hire people out of that pool for full-time positions,” he said. “This gives new hires an opportunity to learn what we do. If they like it and are a good fit then we could provide full-time employment.”

Goodwill, represented by Chandra Howard and Becky Wilson, was another company represented at the job fair.

“Goodwill Works is a free service to job seekers who need help getting their foot in the door with employers or who may need a second chance to participate in the workforce. Job seekers are paired with a career coach who assists them with job preparation and readiness services including resume development, assistance work job applications, mock interviewing, assistance with addressing barriers that impact employment, and much more. Goodwill Works also offers a soft skills academy with six main concepts that significantly impact an individual’s ability to find and maintain employment: attitude, conflict resolution, dependability, safety, self-presentation, and team building,” Wilson said. “Goodwill also provides the Senior Community Employment Service Program designed to link low-income, older workers 55+ to on-the-job training through a paid work experience with the goal of transitioning into paid employment within their communities. Goodwill also provides the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance Program by providing benefits counseling and support to people who receive SSI and SSDI benefits. This program assists individuals with understanding how working will impact Social Security and medical benefits, as well as understanding work incentives.”

Anyone interested in knowing more about Goodwill Programs can find more information at www.goodwillky.org, visit the career services office at Harlan Goodwill store, or call Howard directly at 606/875-1922.

“Goodwill is best known for our retail stores. The money generated in our stores goes to help people with disabilities and disadvantages go to work,” Wilson said. “We have career coaches who work with job seekers to help them with applications and building their resumes.”

Employers at the job fair included:

– ARH

– Heartland School Solutions

– Teleworks USA

– Harlan County Fiscal Court

– Harlan County Board of Education

– Lifeguard Ambulance Services

– TransAmerica

– Addiction Recovery Care

– SEKRI

– SkillsU (Adult Ed and GED Services)

– Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College

– JRL Coal Company