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| By G. Michael Dobbs Managing Editor SPRINGFIELD The good news from last week's job fair at Futureworks is that 30 companies were offering jobs. The bad news is they didn't have jobs for everyone, according to Kevin Lynn of Futureworks. And while last week's job fair at Futureworks may have drawn fewer people than last year's, but that doesn't mean there are fewer job seekers in the Springfield area. Lynn told Reminder Publications the fair attracted between 650-700 people, while last's year's event had 859 participants. He said the difference might be that some people are "hunkered down" in either full-time jobs they don't like, but are unwilling in uncertain economic times to consider a switch. Lynn noted, that unlike last year, there was a waiting list of employers at the fair. Thirty area companies participated, but there were an additional 10 companies for which there simply wasn't enough exhibit space. "This was the fastest filling fair in 12 years," Lynn said. The issue confronting the Springfield job market is training, he said. Over the past 10 years Massachusetts has made a transition from needing an unskilled to skilled job force. "People are very, very frustrated," Lynn said. Many people have had their unemployment benefits run out and do not have the money to pay for retraining. And he said people who have gone through retraining and started a new career might not be commanding the salary they once had in a previous job. The new kind of manufacturing in the state requires more education and Lynn said high school students today should consider attending vocational high schools to receive career training. Futureworks, located at the Springfield Technical Community College Technology Park, can be reached by logging onto http://www.getajob.cc/ or by calling 858-2800. |