Expo welcomes businesses, job seekers Wednesday

There will be a Job Fair/Expo from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Tefft Middle School, 1100 Shirley Ave., Streamwood.

The event is sponsored by Hanover Township Youth and Family Services in cooperation with the Bartlett Chamber of Commerce, Hanover Park Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Streamwood Chamber of Commerce.

The fair, an opportunity for teens, adults and seniors to find jobs and learn about a variety of career opportunities, will feature local employers hoping to fill open positions and showcase their businesses to the community.

Employers scheduled to be on hand include: Arby's, CiCi's Pizza, City of Elgin, Daily Herald, Elgin Community College, Elgin Police Department, The Examiner, Express Employment Professionals, Grand Victoria Casino, Hanover Township, Jimmy John's, McDonald's, Mona. Vie, OfficeMax, Payless Shoe Source, Quality Float Works Inc., UPS, Vertex Resource Group and more.

The Job Fair/Expo is free to both businesses and job seekers.

The chambers, Hanover Township staff and Hanover Township Trustee Westlund-Deenihan have put in countless hours reaching out to local businesses and promoting the event to a wide range of residents and local businesses.

"I've been an outspoken advocate to help find solutions to close the skills gap that impacts the families and businesses of Hanover Township. As trustee, I will continue to foster efforts where employers and our communities can work together so we can fill jobs with local talent," said Westlund-Deenihan.

The Job Fair/Expo was created to give the community a centrally located venue where residents could meet with business leaders, fill out applications and interview for jobs.

The Job Fair/Expo gives businesses the opportunity to meet -- and possibly hire -- prospective employees and inform the community about their businesses.

Professionals will be at the Job Fair/Expo to help prospective employees with resume writing, answer questions about job applications and offer tips for a successful interview. They include: staff from Hanover Township's Astor Avenue Community Center, Elgin Community College, and trustee Toni Carter, Village of Hanover Park.

The idea for the Job Fair/Expo came from Michael Cohen, outreach services coordinator for the Youth and Family Services department.

Cohen stated, "Over the years, so many kids have come up to me and asked 'where are the jobs, and how do I go about getting a job?' After we held two small job fairs for teens, and got a better response from teens and employers than we thought, we decided to hold a larger fair and open it up to all ages in the community. I believe that jobs give people valuable skills that can carry them through whatever career path they might take. This fair will also give Hanover Township the opportunity to build and sustain relationships with the business community."

For information, call Hanover Township Youth and Family Services at (630) 483-5799 or Astor Avenue Community Center at (630) 540-9085. www.hanover-township.org.