LIHU‘E — A job seeker said she really needed the money Friday while browsing through the more than a dozen tables, set socially distanced for separation and offering employment opportunities during the Ho‘ohana Kaua‘i Job Fair set up in the Lihu‘e Civic Center breezeway.
The job fair opened Thursday and continued through Friday afternoon with a fresh set of employers taking on the rows of tables.
“We did pretty good yesterday,” said Juan Uribe of Kaua‘i Coffee, who was able to secure his position for the two days of the job fair. “We have some permanent positions that we need to fill. And, there is always the seasonal help that we need. We’re lucky because we were able to get some prospects for positions.”
The County of Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i Army National Guard, Unlimited Construction and ‘Ohana Pacific Health were among the employers who continued through the second day of the job fair, where third-party vendors had representatives working with the employers on their services.
“I guess people don’t want to work,” said a representative of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, which has ositions available for both the Lawa‘i-Po‘ipu site and Limahuli Gardens in Ha‘ena. “There was one person who stopped by, but the position she wanted wasn’t being advertised this time around.”
The County of Kaua‘i’s Ho‘ohana Kaua‘i program collaborated with the American Job Center-Kaua‘i to host the two-day event that adhered to COVID-19 safety protocols.
More employment opportunities come to the table Monday when the Anaina Hou Community Park presents the Second annual North Shore Career Fair from 2 to 6 p.m. at the park’s Porter Pavilion in Kilauea.
Some of the confirmed participants include Anaina Hou Community Park, Kaua‘i Fire Department, Papaya’s Natural Foods, Holo Holo Charters, Kilauea Market &Cafe, Whalers General Store, Jewel of Paradise, Yellowfish Trading Company, Kaua‘i Northshore Animal Clinic, Kaua‘i Army Recruiting Station, Island Ace Hardware, Kaua‘i Government Employees Federal Credit Union, Hanalei Center, Foodland Princeville and Hanalei Bay Resort.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
