Photo By Greg Wilson | Melinda Verstraete (left) and Mary Kauzlarich from the U.S. Army Sustainment...... read more read more
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DAVENPORT, Iowa – Active-duty Soldiers and veterans mingled with others looking for job opportunities at the fifth annual Quad-Cities Success Fair held here at the Rogalski Center at St. Ambrose University.
U.S. Army Sustainment Command representatives were there, along with many other private and public organizations, looking for job candidates, and getting the word out about ASC and employment opportunities within the command.
“The purpose of the QC Success Fair is to bring employers, resources, and schools together for veterans, spouses, and the community,” said Melinda Verstraete, a human resources specialist at ASC, “for an opportunity to find employment and gather information on different types of careers that are available.”
This is an especially good time for job seekers, says Verstraete, because “employers are in need of qualified candidates for job openings and they need to be present to answer questions, interview, and possibly hire potential new employees.”
Pre-COVID-19, the event usually drew over 300 participants, but now the numbers have gone down, with about 100 people attending. However, with about 80 vendors looking for potential employees, the ratio was a good one for those who were there.
Dan Kern, ASC’s Civilian Personnel Division chief, said it is important for ASC to have a presence in events like this, because the command is always on the lookout for good potential employees.
Kern also pointed to another reason for their presence this year.
“We have some employees representing us who are new to the talent acquisition role for ASC,” he said. “Melinda and I will be doing some coaching for them to help build depth in our talent acquisition and community relations skill sets.
“I will also be reaching out to peers in academia and throughout industry to build our talent acquisition network,” he added.
This is all in support of what Kern called ASC’s “shift to a marketing-focused talent acquisition strategy being developed that emphasizes communicating ASC’s employment brand to the labor market.”
Both Kern and Verstraete pointed out that the QC Success Fair is a good way to help veterans and transitioning ASC Soldiers as they look for employment opportunities.
While the event was open to the public, there was a strong emphasis on recruiting veterans and Soldiers transitioning from active duty.
Jacqueline Friemel, who works for Iowa Workforce Development, was one of the event organizers. She said that the Rock Island Arsenal’s presence in the Quad Cities makes it an important component of the community.
“We put an emphasis on veterans and their families,” she said. “We want our veteran community to know we’re here, we’re here to support them and help them with whatever they need to obtain meaningful employment.”
| Date Taken: | 12.14.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 12.16.2021 12:25 |
| Story ID: | 411319 |
| Location: | IOWA, US |
| Web Views: | 23 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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