FAIRMONT 一 The JOBS. team met on Sept. 9 with Alishia Kellogg, an administrative intern at Fairmont High School, in place of Dr. Anthony Barton.

Team incorporation update

Town Manager Jerome Chestnut said that the team is on the right track toward becoming incorporated. The next step will be selecting a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) to assist with applying for and managing grants.

The next JOBS meeting will begin one hour early next month to discuss further details about any potential CFAs or grants.

Initial officer appointments

The JOBS team is beginning to consider members for officer positions as it approaches incorporation. Mayor Charles Kemp and Town Manager Chestnut are ineligible because they are town government officials.

After action review

After the August job fair, the team learned that around 15 job offers were extended, with seven being accepted. Sixty-five individuals participated in the fair.

Chestnut reported that handing out physical fliers helped increase attendance and plans to continue using this strategy going forward.

The team’s focus for the next job fair will be identifying what needs to be added or changed to increase the success rate of job offers being both extended and accepted.

Intake form

The Oct. 16 job fair will include an intake form with names, phone numbers and addresses to learn more about the population that attends Fairmont’s job fairs. Two weeks after the job fair, a dedicated point of contact will call those who fill out the form to see if they received an offer and what kind of work they’re looking for otherwise.

Chestnut said this information will allow the team to select employers for the fairs more effectively. The team will also have the potential to individually match candidates with employers if they know of a position relevant to a specific person.

Potential Water & Sewer training program

Six openings in the regional water and sewer systems need to be filled by certified individuals. The JOBS team is planning to start a program and train a cohort of graduating seniors in the field.

Chestnut said this is beneficial not only for the town but also for the students, as it prepares them for a career and provides them with certifications.

If the program is well-received, it may be shifted into a long-term funding project, but no plans have been set.

Chestnut said the team plans to find interested students before Christmas.

The next JOBS team meeting will be held on Oct. 14.