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Hundreds of high school students attend job fair

The Citizens' Voice - 5/12/2022

May 12—PLAINS TWP. — Dallas High School senior Hailey Russ said having autism makes it difficult for her to get a job but she found plenty of employment opportunities at a job fair that the Luzerne Intermediate Unit 18 hosted Wednesday at the Holiday Inn.

Russ, 18, stopped at booths for several businesses and talked to career navigator Mia McJunkins about services and training that Pennsylvania CareerLink offers for job seekers at its Wilkes-Barre office.

"I'm more than happy to get any job they offer me because at least I'm getting money," Russ said. "I just feel I really should have a job whether I have this disorder or not."

Russ was one of hundreds of high school juniors and seniors from Luzerne, Lackawanna and Monroe counties who came out to the job fair amid a labor shortage.

LIU transition specialist Cara Serino, who organized the job fair with Diane Orloski and Ed Clarke of the LIU, said they recognized a need for employers to hire amid a labor shortage and they wanted to help prepare students to enter the workforce. Some students did on-the-spot interviews and were hired immediately, she said.

Convenience store chain Sheetz was one of 35 businesses that participated in the job fair.

Sheetz field recruiter Chad Carey was looking to hire students for stores throughout Luzerne County and for its newest location that is being constructed in Larksville that is expected to open in June.

Sheetz pays a starting wage of $14 an hour in Luzerne County and offers training and perks like tuition reimbursement of $5,250 per year if students maintain a 3.0 grade point average, Carey said.

"Even if they aren't going to make a career out of Sheetz, we want to help them get where they want to be," Carey said. "It's a great first job and it teaches you a lot of different life skills."

Several students stopped at the booth for Sheetz including Hazleton Area High School senior Christie Tineo, 19, who said she plans to study nursing at King's College but she is interested in jobs that would give her experience working with people.

Holly Check of the Lion Brewery in Wilkes-Barre talked to students about 50 to 100 job opportunities that could be available to them after they graduate.

Lion Brewery is expanding its manufacturing capabilities to a new 250,000-square-foot facility in the Grimes Industrial Park in Pittston Twp. that will feature two new canning lines.

"That's going to grow our business quite a bit," Check said. "A lot of high school students don't know what they want to do after graduation so they have the opportunity to look at what it's like to start right off the bat in a job."

Barb Eyet, human resources manager at Golden Technologies in Old Forge that manufactures wheelchairs, lift chairs and scooters, said the business is looking to fill about 30 positions. She said she thought holding a job fair for high school students was an excellent idea.

"Schools are there to prepare kids for their future and part of that future is working," Eyet said. "Having people from the businesses here to talk to kids about what kinds of jobs they offer is an excellent opportunity to link school to work. This is a fantastic program and I hope they continue programs like this."

Contact the writer:

dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com 570-821-2115, @CVAllabaugh

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Denise Allabaugh

570-821-2115

Denise Allabaugh covers the business beat for The Citizens' Voice Read More...

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