More than 1,500 job seekers converged on the Oakland Center for the Oakland/Macomb Job Hub held during Oakland University’s winter break when student foot traffic was at a minimum.
Focused on job opportunities in IT, healthcare, engineering and business, more than 75 area companies were attracted to the fair to fill open positions, including Dow Corning, Altair Engineering, FANUC Robotics, Raymond James and Associates, Wright & Fillippis and dozens more.
The brainchild of a regional planning group that included economic developers and administrators from the cities of Southfield, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills, Warren, Troy, Madison Heights, Sterling Heights, Expetec Technology Services, Young Professionals of Rochester, Oakland Community College, Macomb Community, College, Oakland University and Michigan Works, the collaborative effort was intended for one purpose – jobs for Michigan citizens.
Job seeker Richard Zalewa, who learned about the fair through a flyer in his City of Warren water bill, thanked OU and area partners for trying to help the economy, saying “It has to be a partnership between job seekers and employers. Some companies may not have an opportunity now, but may in the future.” Zalewa hopes to find an administrative position in Macomb County.
Fellow job seeker Claudia Lane described the fair as, “…well organized and employers seem serious about employment in medical fields and customer service.”
Erin Sudrovech, OU associate director for Alumni Engagement, and Job Hub committee member, described the fair as a wonderful example of regional economic development offices working together to put people back to work. “It’s important to Oakland University to do our part to help out, and providing the venue was a logical contribution.”
Nik Banda, deputy city manager/economic and community development director for the City of Rochester agreed, saying, “it was a true collaborative effort. And, it’s a benefit to new companies locating to the area who need to find new talent, as much as it’s a benefit to job seekers. It’s wonderful to see people linking up to fill jobs.” Banda and Rochelle Freeman, business development manager for the City of Southfield, say they will likely hold the job fair again next year.
