PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Presque Isle Career Center held a special job fair on Thursday that focused on bringing together employers from the construction and trades industries and potential employees.
With the summer construction season fast approaching, the career center reached out to area companies who are currently seeking qualified workers. Nine area construction companies and employment agencies participated in the job fair.
“We’re looking for construction foremen, equipment operators and laborers,” said Janet McGillan of the Fort Fairfield-based McGillan, Inc., an earthwork contractor that specializes in site prep, road and highway construction, building, landfill closures and demolition.
She noted that with the declining population in Aroostook County, the company has faced more challenges in finding the right workers to fill jobs.
“It seems to be harder now to find people, especially seasonal workers,” McGillan said.
That trend remains a reason why Marcel Bosse, disabled veterans outreach program specialist for the Presque Isle Career Center, thinks that specialty job fairs will become more crucial to Aroostook County. The center is already discussing with area employers what job sectors can be the focus of future fairs in order to stay ahead of potential job shortages.
He noted that with the state unemployment rate at 3.1 percent, according to the Maine Department of Labor, job seekers might mistakenly believe that most companies are not currently hiring.
“The unemployment rate is lower than it has been in a long time, which means employers have less people to choose from,” Bosse said.
Doug Capell of Limestone said that attending the job fair helped make him more aware of companies that are hiring locally.
“I’ve done body and paint work for several companies, but now I’m looking for more stable work,” Capell said. “There are companies here today that I didn’t even know existed.”
One of the companies that Capell learned about is Aroosta Cast, Inc., a precast concrete manufacturer and supplier located on 217 Parsons Road in Presque Isle. Tim Wilcox, president of Aroosta Cast, Inc., noted how important it is for him to connect with job seekers personally instead of just through normal job interviews.
“It helps us see what a person’s temperament is like before we consider them for a job,” Wilcox said about the job fair.
In addition to job fairs, the Presque Isle Career Center offers regular programs for job seekers such as resume writing workshops every Friday, individual meetings, assistance with online job applications, and access to the free Maine JobLink website that allows employers to post job openings and job seekers to post their resumes.
