Crowd turns out for regional career fair in Copperas Cove

By PAMELA GRANT

Cove Leader-Press

Job seekers trailed in and out of the Civic Center in a steady stream taking advantage of the opportunity to learn more about the dozens of jobs available in our area.

Copperas Cove’s EDC teamed up with the Texas Veterans Commission and Texas Workforce Solutions of Central Texas to offer their first Regional Career Fair at the Civic Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. as part of their HireCove program. There were 55 different employers who attended the event, offering plenty of variety.

Employers included organizations like Walmart and Chick-fil-A as well as groups like AKIMA, Veterans Land Board, U.S. Border Patrol, Copperas Cove ISD, AdventHealth, Pepsi Co, and much more.

Brittany Sanders, Workforce Division Specialist with the EDC, said that they wanted to make sure to have a wide range of jobs available for potential job seekers from those looking to start their very first job to those looking at more specialized careers.

Sanders said that they saw a need for a job fair after their previous pop-up events saw several coming just for the vendors offering information on jobs.

“We saw the need to expand it further to reach out to the region,” said Sanders. “We wanted to provide resources to let everyone know about the industries out there. It’s an eye opener for some people.”

Joshua Pinson, Employer Liaison with Texas Veterans Commission, said that although they host many job fairs, they are mostly on Fort Cavazos, Killeen, or Belton.

“We’re trying to open up into the Copperas Cove area…We’re trying to take care of job seekers here, so we can have employers come to them so that they don’t have to travel,” said Pinson. He said that his group is dedicated to helping veterans and their spouses and children. Pinson said that they understand how difficult it can be for those transitioning from being in the military. He said that it’s important to help connect them with potential employers.

Roberto Gutierrez, Border Patrol Federal Agent, was one employer who was recruiting for border patrol positions and was particularly interested in potentially recruiting veterans.

“We’re trying to help out veterans,” said Gutierrez. “Veterans tend to make good candidates.”

He said that he was pleasantly surprised by the number of good, qualified candidates that he spoke to throughout the afternoon.

“I thought it was pretty informative. It shows what kind of jobs are available in the community,” said Malachi Smalls who attended the job fair. Smalls, a veteran, said that he was most interested in the jobs offered by CCISD, Texas Parks & Wildlife, and Primerica. “There’s a lot of variety, particularly for veterans getting out.”