The Municipality of Penn Hills hosts job fair to attract employees, promote businesses

Penn Hills residents looking for an opportunity to get their foot in the job market door were able to do so at a job fair July 31 at the Penn Hills Government Center.

The outdoor event showcased a variety of employers and services from around Penn Hills and the Pittsburgh area.

More than 10 booths were lined around the parking lot representing places such as Giant Eagle, the Army, Penn Hills Police and Fire & EMS, McDonald’s, the Builders Guild of Western PA, the University of Pittsburgh and more.

The fair was a joint effort of Councilman John Petrucci, Deputy Mayor Cathy Sapp and Penn Hills School District Superintendent Nancy Hines. Penn Hills Fire and EMS hosted the event.

The trio brainstormed ways they could help youths and came up with an event that gave people the opportunity to find a job while also helping businesses that have job openings.

“Everyone we talked to is looking for help and short-staffed,” Petrucci said.

Sapp said the fair aimed to provide options and opportunities for young people who are recent high school graduates.

“We wanted to show them there are other ways to make a livable wage if you’re not looking to go to college,” she said.

Abby Skornicka, a deli manager representing Giant Eagle, said there has been a lack of applicants. He said it has been harder to compete against businesses offering higher wages.

“Job fairs like these are awesome because it gives us a chance to let people know what’s out there,” Skornicka said.

Elizabeth Arredondo, who works for the University of Pittsburgh’s Emergency Medicine Program, said the fair was a great idea.

“There’s a lot of good diversity here for job opportunities,” she said. “This is very exciting.”

A steady stream of people checked out the event each hour, walking up to the booths to talk to employers and organizations. Food and drinks were provided.

Jose Guérrero, a recent graduate of Penn Hills High School, came to check out what job opportunities were available. The high school sent out mass text messages and emails to encourage juniors and seniors to check out the the job fair.

“It was actually really nice and not boring like other job fairs,” he said.

Sabrina Tillis, a Penn Hills resident, wanted to see what careers were available related to her sociology major. She was happy she decided to check it out because she was able to find some interesting career paths.

“This gave me the chance to see a few options I had never seen before,” Tillis said.

Sapp was pleased with how the job fair turned out. She said 10 people who attended had already been hired or enrolled into a school.

“I am excited,” Sapp said. “This is a way to help citizens looking to reenter the workforce or change careers.”