EVERETT — Job seekers flocked Thursday to Everett Community College, where about 50 employers eyed prospective help at the Snohomish County Job Fair. Among dozens of displays, only one had a long line around it — the Boeing table.
The event offered ample opportunities, with jobs for the taking in law enforcement and at the Tulalip Resort Casino. But it was the Boeing Co. that drew a crowd, from seasoned aircraft workers to recent college graduates.
“I want to go back to my first love,” said Shanna Lathrop, 36. A Marysville mother of three, Lathrop spent five years running her own child-care business. She previously worked in aviation assembly. “I’ve been checking Boeing online every day. I’m looking for interior manufacturing,” she said.
With a bachelor’s degree in communications, Mark Rigby hopes for a public relations or advertising career. The 24-year-old patiently waited in Boeing’s line in a wheelchair. Born with spina bifida, he’s confident that “with my personality I’ll be able to overcome any barriers.” Rigby sees the Boeing Co. as a “strong and stable environment.”
EvCC has held job fairs since 1998 with a number of sponsors and now holds three per year. The events typically bring employers from five counties.
“At the first job fair, we expected about 300 and had more than 1,000,” said Betsy Shields, assistant director of EvCC’s student employment referral center. “With so many jobs available, we’re now getting more than 2,000 people.”
In his state-of-the-county address Wednesday, Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon said more than 22,500 new jobs were created in Snohomish County last year. Unemployment has held steady at just more than 4 percent, with median incomes here the state’s second highest, trailing only King County.
At the college events, Shields said most job hunters are high school graduates, and more than 40 percent have bachelor’s degrees.
Lack of education limits choices, said Steven Fritschy, 20, of Lake Stevens. “With no college, it makes it hard,” he said. Having worked in construction, sales and retail, Fritschy is looking for “something I can build a career in, from the ground up.”
For people willing to wear a uniform and a gun, college isn’t a requirement.
“Once we get people in, we usually have them long-term,” said Deputy Jim Upton of the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office is down more than a dozen deputies and will soon lose more to retirements. “It’s a great gig. You can make an impact,” Upton said, adding that applicants must be 201/2 years old and have their GED.
Snohomish County Corrections also was there seeking custody officers. “You need to be 21 and have a GED,” said custody officer Robert Ogawa. The starting salary is more than $43,000. The need is so great, Snohomish County Corrections will hold its own hiring fair starting at 9 a.m. today at Everett Station.
Randy James was taking contact information for people interested in jobs at the new Tulalip Resort Casino, the Tulalip Tribes’ new 12-story hotel scheduled to open in June. Between the tribal casino, the new hotel and spa, more than 500 new jobs will be available this year, he said.
Sgt. 1st Class Richard Burgos of the Army National Guard was both scoping out jobs and offering them at Thursday’s event. A recruiter based at the Washington National Guard Armory in Everett, Burgos, 43, recently served more than a year in Afghanistan. An embedded trainer, he worked with the Afghan army.
“It was one of the greatest things I’ve ever done. Only a small percentage of it was combat,” he said. After 25 years in the military, he’s close to retirement and his next career.
“I’d love to teach,” Burgos said.
Chris Jensen was there from Janicki Industries, which produces patterns, molds and tooling for aerospace, marine and other transportation uses. Based in Sedro-Woolley, the company needs a range of skills, including machinists, welders, programmers and engineers.
“It’s just finding the right person for the job,” Jensen said.
Reporter Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460 or muhlstein@heraldnet.com.
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