Everett job fair: openings in manufacturing, trades

Published 10:55 pm Thursday, March 20, 2008

EVERETT — William Hawkins hopes to make a living of playing in the mud.

And he wants on-the-job training to get his career going. That’s why Hawkins showed up in search of a cement masonry position at the Apprenticeship, Manufacturing and Trades Fair offered Thursday at Everett Community College.

The fair attracted dozens of job seekers such as Hawkins, who wanted to learn a trade with long-term potential. The 35-year-old Hawkins said he’s tired of low-paying restaurant jobs that don’t offer much room for advancement. His father was a plasterer and Hawkins already has some training in the field.

“I just like playing in the mud,” he said, referring to the mortar used in the trade.

Job seekers at fairs such as Thursday’s event sometimes find they don’t have the skills necessary for the trades they want. That’s where Everett Community College and its technical programs come in, said Linda Baca, with the college. Both two-year degree and certificate programs are offered in Everett.

One of the companies in attendance, Janicki Industries, has a need for skilled workers and those willing to be trained.

Located in Sedro-­Woolley, Janicki is trying to attract enough workers to meet its expanding business, said Randy Jensen, a program manager with the company that supplies the aerospace, marine and transportation industries. With roughly 500 employees already in place, Jensen estimates the company could use another couple hundred workers. The company has openings for machinists, composite fabrication technicians and wood fabricators.

Previous job fairs have provided “a lot of good leads” for the company, Jensen said.

The trade fair couldn’t have come at a better time for Oneil Cortes, who got laid off from a building materials company three weeks ago. The Everett resident hasn’t given up on the construction industry altogether, but he wants a skilled position that won’t be so susceptible to the industry’s downturns.

But Cortes knows that kind of position isn’t easy to come by. Like Hawkins, he wants an apprenticeship where he’ll begin learning a trade on the job while taking college courses. On Thursday, Cortes thought a construction electrician apprenticeship with Independent Electical Contractors of Washington looked promising.

One trade that job seekers can get into fairly easily is professional truck driving. Sean Eggett, a recruiter for Swift Transportation Co., said the company provides six weeks of paid training for job candidates who hold a commercial driver’s license. Potential employees need to pass a background check and have a clean driving record.

Drivers earn between $36,000 and $42,000 in the first year. Most drivers with Swift make between $50,000 and $60,000 but can earn a lot more, Eggett said.

“It can be very lucrative,” he said.

Reporter Michelle Dunlop: 425-339-3454 or mdunlop@heraldnet.com.