The City of Turlock has partnered with the Employment Development Department (EDD) and the Turlock Chamber of Commerce to host a local job fair. The event will take place on from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 2 at the New Life Christian Center in Turlock. There will be over 60 employers in attendance.
The job fair is free to the public, and those planning to attend are encouraged to dress for success and bring a résumé. Employers expected to attend include Amazon, City of Turlock, Valley Milk, United Cold Storage, Super Store Industries FreshPoint, Northern Refrigerated, UPS, Golden Valley Health Centers, Garton Tractor, Hilmar Cheese, Gallo Glass, Divert, Covenant Living and more.
Anthony Sims is the economic development director for the City of Turlock. He explained that he and his partners decided to put the job fair together after he began visiting with businesses around town as part of the City’s goal of meeting with at least 100 local businesses a year.
“The job fair really came to fruition to address the needs of the business climate because so many employers and organizations have open positions right now and they're really struggling to fill their workforce,” Sims said. “The number one priority is for us to be good partners with our business community, it’s one of the main pillars of economic development.”
Sims believes that one of the main reasons for the need for employees remains the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That was the time of the ‘great resignation,’ the ‘reshuffle.’ There were a lot of moving parts within the workforce and talent during that time. People resigned, people retired early, there's a lot of knowledge and experienced senior level workers that left the workforce early or they moved out of the state, and it’s been difficult for businesses to train new employees. Now, there's this huge void and gap to fill,” Sims said. “I think one of the solutions is providing a job fair.”
To further address these issues, attendees will also be able to receive résumé critiques, training and other career information from the EDD, the Turlock Chamber of Commerce, the Central Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Opportunity Stanislaus, Bay Valley Tech and the Volt Institute.
According to Sims, the most common industries that are currently looking to hire are manufacturing, healthcare, warehousing, logistics, technology, agriculture and education. Considering the wide array, Sims hopes that the upcoming job fair can bring them all together within the New Life Christian Center and give community members as many options and opportunities as possible.
“We're just really looking for the opportunity to provide a good solution for the employers looking to hire talent and for the job seekers as well, so why not just get them all together in the same room,” Sims said. “We’re just glad to be able to do something. I'm really excited to do something so quickly and piece it together so quickly. I think it's going to be a great event.”
New Life Christian Center is located at 2918 W. Tuolumne Rd., Turlock.
A full list of employers and services that will be in attendance will be announced at a later date, but those interested are encouraged to stay updated by following the City of Turlock on LinkedIn and on Instagram at @City.Of.Turlock.
