City of Pawtucket Hosts Job Fair, Bringing Together Job Seekers and Employers
PAWTUCKET ??? In response to the sudden closing of the MATLET Group???s Pawtucket-based Packaging Graphics, the City of Pawtucket and the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT) hosted a ???Rapid Response??? job fair on November 7th at the City???s Visitor Center. Financial problems led to the unanticipated shut down of the 300,000 sf printing facility, employing 180 employees.
???Our job fair was a success because a number of these job seekers were able schedule interviews with the attending businesses,??? said Pawtucket???s Mayor Donald R. Grebien. ???We are also working hard to find the right company to go into the former printing plant on Delta Drive,??? he said.
According to Grebien, he directed Commerce Director Jeanne Boyle and her economic development team to collaborate with DLT to organize the Rapid Response job fair for those affected by the closure. Nearly 50 former employees of MATLET Group attended Wednesday???s event to learn more about Rhode Island???s unemployment insurance benefits and to meet with 19 Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts-based businesses, many of whom came with jobs to fill, he said.
???We knew that the job fair would be a tremendous opportunity for TriMark to connect with talented people. We didn???t know that it would turn out to be a testament of those with a spirit to overcome challenging circumstances in pursuit of a promising future. What a privilege to experience their winning attitude and energy!??? said Karen Vail, Eastern Regional House Resources Director, South Attleboro-based TriMark.?? She says that the company interviewed three of the unemployed employees and has made a job offer to one of these individuals.
DLT???s Rapid Response events are coordinated by the state agency to support employees impacted by business closures and layoffs, and to connect those skilled workers to other local employers who are actively hiring. Each job fair includes an orientation to services administered by DLT, including unemployment insurance, career counseling and job training; the orientation is followed by an industry-specific job fair to facilitate a timely and streamlined process for connecting dislocated workers to new employment opportunities