Thousands attend job fair in Visalia

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- In his suit and tie, a resume successful manus and implicit 25 years of acquisition successful management, Akie Alifragis says helium is connected the hunt for a job.

"All I americium doing is perpetually putting my accusation retired there, it's a numbers game, you know?" helium said.

Alifragis waited successful line, which wrapped astir the country astatine the Wyndham Hotel successful Visalia.

There were implicit a 1000 radical with anticipation of landing employment astatine the Visalia Industrial Park Job Fair connected Wednesday morning.

"First clip ever attending a Job Fair- truthful it's kinda caller to me, obviously," Alifragis said.

It's a motion of a competitory occupation hunt successful a choky employment market.

Akie shares helium worked arsenic a manager astatine a section car dealership and was laid off.

Being the superior income successful his household means the unit is on.

It's been years since helium has had to capable retired a occupation exertion but successful the past fewer months, he's applied to implicit 200 jobs.

"Furthest happening from my caput but I deliberation it happens to anybody, ne'er instrumentality thing for granted," Alifragis said.

Hoping to onshore a occupation successful instrumentality enforcement, 22-year-old Isaac Butler attended his archetypal occupation fair.

"It's crazy, determination are a batch of radical present looking for careers truthful it's truly bully to spot radical retired determination trying to look for thing to assistance them out," Butler said.

The latest unemployment rates for February successful Tulare County are astatine 11.2 percent, which is much than doubly arsenic overmuch arsenic the state.

Locally, the closure of Jo-ann's organisation center has near hundreds without a occupation arsenic of past week, a fistful of them showed up successful hunt of work.

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Bruce Nicotero was the erstwhile General Manager astatine Joann's Distribution Center successful Visalia respective years ago.

He is present the Executive Director of the Visalia Economic Development Corporation which worked alongside the Workforce Investment Board of Tulare County and Employment Connection to marque the lawsuit happen.

"It's bittersweet that radical are retired looking for enactment but we are gladsome we are capable to supply a venue and a spot wherever they tin spell and conscionable and marque connections with the employers," Nicotero said.

If you missed Wednesday's Job Fair, determination volition beryllium 1 connected April 15 astatine Porterville College from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m..., and determination volition besides beryllium different 1 astatine the Wyndham successful June.

For South Valley quality updates, travel Kassandra Gutierrez connected Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.