Chamber hosts job fair and volunteer expo

A week after taking over the Douglas County Community Center gym for Business Showcase, the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce was back below the basketball hoops Thursday for a job fair and volunteer expo.

About 30 Jobs 4 Nevada and career and technical education students from Douglas High School made the rounds through the nearly 60 different booths.

Gardnerville resident Uriah Omoobajesu, a Douglas High J4NG sophomore, said he was interested in the electrical trade.

“I was talking to some of the electricians, and it really sparked my interest (no pun intended),” he said. “They were saying they do a bunch of apprenticeships. Electricity might be something I’m willing to get into, because I hear all these good things about electricians. My friend’s dad is an electrician, and he travels a bunch and that sounds like something I’d be interested in doing.”

Omoobajesu said touring the booths showed him what sort of things there are to do in Carson Valley.

“There were a bunch of things that I didn’t even know were really out there that I got to see today,” he said.

Douglas High student Stella Bradley is a fairly recent arrival in Carson Valley having moved from Missouri a few years ago.

“I saw a lot of different jobs and a lot of different nonprofit organizations, which I find very interesting,” she said. “They just want to see people get involved in their community and connected with the people around them.”

Bradley said she’s interested in a career as a social worker.

“I saw a lot of social work organizations and nonprofits, who are looking for people to volunteer and get experience working with families and children,” she said. “It’s really cool. I’m glad the community gives us this opportunity to come together and explore our interests. Now is the time for us to get ready to go out into the world and have a career.”

Jobs for Nevada’s Graduates was established in 2013 when former Gov. Sandoval learned about the positive impact of the Jobs for American Graduates program had in other states. It came to Douglas High in 2016. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to helping people make successful transitions to postsecondary education or employment.