**All jobseekers can participate in the job fair and training workshop for FREE!**

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2023 Sponsors

For Jobseekers:

Job Fair Details

What should I do to prepare?: Create a resume, bring multiple copies of your resume with you, leave your guests at home (kids/parents/friends), dress professionally, attend the Jobseeker Training Class (details below).

Date: Wednesday, July 19th, 2023
Time: 9 am – 1 pm
Location: Abbeville High School – 1305 Wildcat Drive, Abbeville
Cost: Free to attend!

Jobseeker Training

Join us as we hear from employment specialist Sherman Bernard, Training Specialist with Goodwill Industries of Acadiana. We’ll cover topics like how to write and format your resume, how to prepare for a job fair or interview, and how to make your job search a success.

Date: Tuesday, June 13th
Time: 12 pm – 2 pm
Location: Vermilion Parish Library, Abbeville Branch – 405 East Saint Victor Street, Abbeville
Cost: FREE

Thank you to sponsor Enviro Resources and Industrial & Oilfield Services (IOS) for your support!

Click here: Jobseeker Training Tips

Click Here to Register

Participating Employers & Resources

Employers & Openings: 

Abbeville General Hospital – RN’s, LPN’s, Scrub Techs, Medical Assistants, Patient Access Clerks, Coders, Housekeepers, Cooks, Ultrasound/Echo Tech, and Respiratory Therapists

Broussard Brothers, Inc. – Tugboat Captains, Deckhands, Crewman, Company Road Mechanic

Gulf Coast Bank – Banking Associate, Customer & Branch Support Analyst, Central Files Analyst, Compliance Officer, Auditor, Commercial Lender, Branch Sales Manager, Financial Advisor

Vermilion Parish School System – Substitute Teachers, Bus Operators, Cafeteria Technicians, and more

 

*Hires Re-Entry Jobseekers

Resources:

Acadiana Workforce Solutions
Goodwill Industries of Acadiana
Louisiana Workforce Commission

For Employers:

Booth Application

**Employer Application now OPEN**

Employer Registration: Job Fair

Job Fair Info

Arrival & Setup

  • Set up begins promptly at 7 am. Doors open to jobseekers at 9 am, so if you anticipate your booth will take a long time to assemble, we suggest you make arrangements to be there bright and early!
  • Location: Abbeville High School – 1305 Wildcat Drive, Abbeville, LA 70510
  • There is a large parking lot on each side of the school. If you could park there and leave the spots near the front door available for jobseekers, that would be great!
  • We will have coffee and breakfast goodies during the morning, so you’ll be fueled for those early attendees, and snacks and drinks will be provided throughout the day
  • At check-in, you will receive a booth number and employer packet.
  • Your table has been pre-assigned to create optimal flow of jobseekers – we do not want similar businesses/industries clustered together – if there is a problem with your booth location, we’ll do our best to accommodate.
  • Each booth will have a 6-ft table and two chairs – there is limited space for a display around the tables, but you should have plenty of room for a table-top display.
  • Wi-fi access is available and the access password will be provided the morning of event.
  • If you notified us that your booth needs electricity, please plan to provide your own extension cord.

Media & Promotions

  • Someone from the media is likely to be at the fair – if you’d like to provide a quote for their upcoming publications, we encourage you to do so. If you have a prepared quote from your company about the fair and your participation, I’ll happily accept those and provide it to our media contacts – let’s try and keep it as positive as possible!
  • Please tag the Facebook event – Vermilion Parish Job Fair as your location if you plan to use social media during or after the event – we want to share your successes with the community! Please feel free to also tag Vermilion Economic Development Alliance, Vermilion Chamber of Commerce, Acadiana Workforce Solutions and Goodwill of Acadiana – we will be posting pictures, too!
  • The Vermilion Parish Instagram account is @VermilionParish – and we encourage you to use the #vermilionparish and #2023vpjobfair tags if you post on that platform.
  • Check your listing at www.vermilionparishjobfair.com – if you need us to make an update, please let us know.
  • I’ve attached a “We’re Hiring” banner for your Facebook page with details about the fair – please consider changing it ASAP to begin marketing your participation.

Jobseeker interaction 

  • We will not have copy services on-site, so please bring plenty materials or applications for your jobseekers.
  • We will have an application area for jobseekers to fill out paper applications in the middle of the Employer Booths.
  • Jobseekers are encouraged to bring resumes, but please be prepared to accept applications and/or distribute means for them to apply off-site/in person if possible.
  • The Employer Lounge will be available for in-person interviews, we just ask that someone mans the booth if you choose to do so.

Lunch & Wrap Up

  • We are excited to have Goodwill of Acadiana providing freshly grilled and on-site prepared hamburgers and hotdogs for jobseekers and employers.
  • Booths may be torn down at 1 pm, but we encourage you to stay and until the last jobseekers leave.
  • We will conduct an email survey following the event and see if you hired attendees of the fair – please answer the survey, it’s critically important to our success!
Click Here to Register

Employer Workshop

Recruiting in the past few years has been a challenging factor in business planning. The current environment has changed how you find, attract, and engage talent. There are many factors that are contributing to this change: people are changing careers; remote work means that we are now competing for talent on a national level, and the pandemic gave people the opportunity to reflect on what is important to them and what they really want in an employer. Join us as we hear from EXCELERANT partner, Jennifer Adcock, and Lafayette Economic Development Authority’s Workforce Development Director, Ryan Lagrange. In this interactive session, we will discuss ways to overcome current recruiting challenges by shifting perspectives, using creativity, and creating new strategies.

Date: Thursday, July 13th
Time: 8 am – 10 am
Location: Vermilion Parish Farm Bureau Meeting Room – 3139 Veterans Memorial Dr, Abbeville
Topics: Recruiting 101 – Overcoming Obstacles & Leveraging Opportunities
Cost: $20 (includes breakfast)*
*Free for registered Job Fair Employers

Thank you to our Employer Workshop sponsor, One Acadiana, for your continuous support!

Presenters:

Jennifer Adcock, EXCELERANT

Jennifer Adcock is a partner at EXCELERANT, a leading provider of leadership development and human resources solutions based in Acadiana. Jennifer holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resources, has three certifications in Human Resources, is a certified Instructor/Facilitator, and a certified Succession Planner.

Jennifer is passionate about the people side of business, so she partners with business leaders to positively influence their company culture. Jennifer’s philosophy is that inclusion and collaboration lead to better business results. She connects the dots between organizational development and people development by engaging leaders and employees at all levels in the creation and implementation of their company’s “people programs.”

With more than 20 years of experience, Jennifer applies her HR and leadership development expertise to coach business leaders on the skills that allow them and their employees to take satisfaction in what they do every day.

Jennifer serves the community by volunteering her time and expertise to many local non-profit organizations, such as the Acadiana Center for the Arts and Boys & Girls Clubs of Acadiana. Jennifer coaches and collaborates with these organizations’ Executive Directors to create plans of action with regard to HR practices, employee retention, and performance management.

Ryan Lagrange, Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA)

Ryan LaGrange has been the Director of Workforce Development with the Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA) since April 2008. In this role, Ryan serves as an advisor to the Acadiana business community regarding workforce issues including employee recruitment efforts, retention of existing employees, and acquiring funds to help offset training expenses.

He joined the staff at LEDA after working for the Louisiana Workforce Commission (previously Department of Labor) for more than seven years. Ryan is a graduate from the University of Oklahoma- Economic Development Institute, as well as Leadership Lafayette – Class XXVI and received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette after graduating from St. Martinville Senior High School.

Ryan serves on several committees and boards with civic and professional organizations including One Acadiana’s Workforce & Education Committee, and planning committees of career exploration events for high school students since 2008. Ryan currently serves as Treasurer and board member for Broussard Economic Development Corporation and has also served as board member with the region’s Workforce Development Board for twelve years and as President of the Acadiana Society of Human Resources Management in 2016. Aside from work, Ryan and his wife, Jessica, enjoy their job as parents to two sons, Liam and Aiden, and daughter, Nami.