OGDEN -- Several thousand students and community members swarmed Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College on Tuesday for a job fair featuring booths staffed by 64 area businesses and technical training programs.
Johny Rios, 23, wore a conservative suit and tie, and exchanged confident smiles and firm handshakes with representatives of construction companies.
"I'm three months away from finishing the construction tech course I've been working on for seven or eight months," said Rios, a student at OWATC. "I'm very hopeful. A certificate gives you something concrete you can show employers."
Josh Bambrough, manager of the Wall Avenue Walmart wrapping up its construction, was manning one of the fair's most popular booths. He expects to hire about 200 workers in the coming weeks.
"I had 200 fliers and they were gone in the first hour," said Bambrough, shaking hands as he waited for a rush order of additional fliers. "And there are at least 130 people waiting in line."
Most employer booths accepted resumes, but expected to have limited openings in the near future.
Jim Taggart, vice president of OWATC instructional services, said technical colleges are more important than ever.
"If anything, recent economic changes have shown the need for a technically trained workforce," Taggart said. "With the economic downturn, those without skills are the first to be unemployed. There are still some sectors where a bachelor's degree is needed, but for the majority of jobs open right now, you need more than a high school diploma, but less than a bachelor's degree."
Taggart cited a trend report from the Utah Department of Workforce Services that projects that between 2008 and 2018, 29 percent of new jobs will require a bachelor's or associate degree, but the remaining 70.6 percent of new jobs will require post- high school training, some of it on the job, but most of it handled by short workshops or longer programs offered through technical colleges.
For Seth Jaynes, 27, of Roy, that advice doesn't help.
"I wouldn't mind going back to school, but I have to find a job first," said the former retail manager, jobless since November.
"I would need a job to pay for more training."
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