Apr 9, 2015

Several career fields hiring CLC students

Several career fields are hiring Central Lakes College students after graduation, and they’re actively recruiting them now.
At the Brainerd Community Job Fair Wednesday at CLC, dozens of area companies got a chance to chat with students and community members looking for a career or part-time work.
“(Manufacturing) students will have jobs before they graduate,” said Greta Smith, human resources representative with Brunswick, a manufacturing company located in New York Mills.
There’s a huge demand for manufacturing and production employees at the company.
That’s not unique to Brunswick, though. The need for manufacturing workers is skyrocketing across the region, she said.
“It’s all about creating awareness,” Smith said. “There are more openings than people.”
And the starting pay is above average, said Lynda Everson, human resources representative with Brunswick.


At DCI in St. Cloud needed are: welders, machinists, finishers, engineers, drafters and designers.
“This is a very good field and time,” said Allison Waggoner, human resource, safety and communications at DCI.
She cautioned students to not overlook the career field.
“It’s a lucrative career and you will have jobs before you graduate,” she said.
Another key field that is in high demand for workers is health care.
“The demand is continuous,” said Pamela Fehn, administrator with Senior Class Care in Nisswa and Pequot Lakes.
For Senior Class Care specifically, part-time RNs, LPNs, CNAs and PCAs are needed.
Other health care companies need full-time workers, though.
Fehn said the health care field is always a safe one to get in on.
“It’s endless,” she said. “The demand is so high right now. We don’t have enough assisted living and nursing facilities for the people who are looking.”
She added, “You can get in at the entry level and go as far as you want to.”

The annual job fair pulls in more than 100 employment seekers every year. It features companies and businesses looking for full-time, a part-time, or summer work employees.