Imagine a large supermarket that, rather than offering a wide variety of food, there was a wide variety of jobs to choose from.
That’s in effect what happened inside the Contra Costa College gymnasium on Wednesday, when dozens of the region’s highest-profile employers stood behind tables to greet local residents who are looking for a new job and/or career.
It’s part of the West Contra Costa Career Fair, an annual event coordinated by the Contra Costa County Workforce Development Board and Contra Costa College in collaboration with community partners such as Chevron, Phillips 66, the Lao Family Community Development, the Employment Development Department and San Pablo EDC.
Over 50 employers attended, including Chevron Richmond, Bio-Rad, BART, AAA, Mechanics Bank, C&H Sugar, FedEX Express as well as public safety agencies, schools and labor unions. Each offered a wide variety of positions at their company, from bus and tow truck drivers, caregivers, police officers, teacher positions, cashiers, cooks and forklift operators.
Those visiting the Chevron Richmond Refinery’s booth learned the company is now accepting applicants for Maintenance Craft Trainees, an on-the-job position training machinists, pipefitters, boilermakers, welders and more.
Chevron was also introducing job seekers to the highly popular Regional Occupational Program, which trains local residents in high-paying careers in industrial facilities. In an adjacent booth, Chevron Stations Inc. was hiring gas station retail workers for its growing business.
A highlight of this career fair are the resources offered to help job seekers attract employers. Over 20 resource tables at Wednesday offered on-the-job training opportunities, career counseling, resume review services, services for veterans, youth and disabled job seekers, and education resources.
“It’s really a great and important event,” said Rita Grisby, hiring and recruiting coordinator for Chevron Richmond. “As you know, [Chevron] is very much part of the Richmond community. It’s great to bring everyone together in one place to share information about the many quality jobs that are in their community, including at the Richmond Refinery.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this story failed to recognize the Contra Costa County Workforce Development Board as a co-coordinator of this career fair. This fact has since been added to the story.
