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More than 1,000 people are expected to attend San Bernardino County’s High Desert Regional Job Fair, which is scheduled to be Aug. 20 in Victorville.
About 40 public and private sector employers are expected to attend the one-day event at the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds, said Miguel McQueen, deputy director of the county’s Workforce Investment Board.
Walmart Logistics, UFI Transportation, Dalton Trucking and the Los Angeles Police Department have all agreed to attend the job fair, and more businesses – including several Fortune 500 entities – are expected to sign up, McQueen said.
The job fair, which attracted about 1,200 people last year, is one of several the workforce investment board stages every year in different parts the county. It’s being paid for with grants from the Workforce Investment Act, a federal measure that was passed last year to promote job training and job growth.
Even though the economy has improved during the past year, the Inland Empire’ unemployment rate was 6.5 percent in June, and that means this year’s job fair should attract a large crowd, McQueen said.
“We’ve been doing this in the High Desert for six or seven years and it’s always done pretty well,” McQueen said. “The idea is to get people who live in the High Desert placed in a job, but the event is open to everyone. We aren’t going to turn anyone away because of their zip code.”
Before the economy turned, companies that attended the job fair might hire only one or two people, but with the job market improving, some companies might hire 20 to 25 people, McQueen said.
Pay scales will range from $11 to $20 or more an hour, depending on the industry and the size of the company.
“Some people might even get hired on the spot,” McQueen said.
Deadline to register is Aug. 18. For more information call 1-800-451-JOBS.
