Johnston County Public Schools (JCPS) hosted a Trades Job Fair on Thursday, June 28 in Smithfield at JCPS Facility Services Building to promote various trade jobs to the general public. The event hosted over a dozen different departments featuring everything from School Nutrition to electricians with around 65 people attending.
“The event is to show the general public about the jobs that are available and show them the process of how to apply for future jobs,” Facilities Officer Billy Massengill said. “We want to make the public aware because what we’re finding out is we don’t get a lot of trades people applying for our jobs and we think its because people don’t know. That’s why we set it up so people can come in and see what we’re all about.”
The event, held in the afternoon, drew a diverse crowd of jobseekers. Shanika Daniels of Kenly stopped by to see what jobs the district had to offer.
“It’s really nice and well put together. Everybody is friendly. I’m loving it so far,” Daniels said.
It was the first time an event of this type has been hosted by JCPS, but Massengill says Facility Services hopes to do the event every year in the future.
“To get good contacts with people looking for jobs — current jobs and future jobs. That’s my main goal today,” Massengill said.
JCPS Chief of Human Capital Brian Vetrano said it was important to promote the district as not only a great place for students but also for employees.
“Johnston County Public Schools is a great place to begin a career, a great place to end your career, too, because of all the benefits we provide. There are opportunities for growth for employees, opportunities for job advancement, and opportunities for professional development,” Vetrano said.
Vetrano said thanks to JCPS being the seventh largest school district and employing over 5,000 individuals, there are many positions people may not even be aware exist.
“Whatever an individual may be interested in, most likely because we are so large, we have opportunities for them, “ Vetrano stated. “We are continuously seeking out the most qualified individuals to work in our school system and a day like today is just to set aside some time to highlight the great things we’re doing in our district and to help the public understand that there’s much to offer in our school district.”
