Jobs

Eighty-five vendors lined the hallways of Chambersburg Mall on Thursday for the third annual Here to Help job fair. About a thousand people stopped at an information table to pick up fliers designed for job seekers, according to Pennsylvania state Sen. Richard Alloway II, R-Franklin/Adams/York. Alloway sponsored the event in cooperation with PA CareerLink of Franklin County and the Franklin County Area Development Corp. “The turnout has been tremendous,” Alloway said.

State Sen. Richard Alloway II, in partnership with PA CareerLink Franklin County and the Franklin County Area Development Corp., will host the third annual “Here To Help” Job Fair on Thursday. The job fair will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Chambersburg Mall, 3055 Black Gap Road north of Chambersburg, Pa. The mall can be accessed from exit 20 off Interstate 81 in Pennsylvania. The event will feature businesses from a variety of employment sectors and representatives from human- services organizations that offer assistance to unemployed individuals.

Richard Andrews III said he has a job at a local graphics company, but it's hard to get enough hours to make a decent living. Andrews, who is an Army veteran, and dozens of others with military experience were at the National Guard Armory off Roxbury Road on Tuesday to attend Hiring Our Heroes-Hagerstown, one of four job fairs scheduled to be held in Maryland this year to help veterans and their spouses find work. With 36 prospective employers ranging from Walmart to Lockheed Martin, Andrews said he was pleasantly surprised by the event.

University System of Maryland at Hagerstown senior Samantha Sines is expecting to graduate this spring so she's looking for a job. In preparation for job interviews, Sines participated last month in mock interviews with business people who gave her feedback about how she was answering questions, what she was wearing, and about her resume, she said. On Monday, Sines put what she'd learned to work as she interviewed for elementary school teaching positions with public school systems in Washington and Frederick counties.

Volvo Construction Equipment celebrated its $100 million investment in its new national headquarters in Shippensburg during a day-long ceremony Thursday. The company also unveiled its first U.S.-built wheel loaders as they rolled off the assembly line at the Franklin County plant Thursday. “This should serve as a very clear signal that Volvo CE is committed to this market and in a better position than ever before to offer our customers products that are made by Americans, for Americans,” Volvo Construction Equipment President Pat Olney said in a statement.

Katherine Marsh drove from Frederick for a job fair at The Arc of Washington County in Hagerstown on Thursday. “I am leaving a family-owned business because of budget cuts,” she said. “I have become active in the mental health aspect, so helping disabled people has piqued my interest.” Marsh, 49, who said she was applying for a residential support position at the Arc, does volunteer work at Frederick Memorial Hospital. The job fair Thursday offered 20 to 25 openings, said SueAnn McKendrick, recruiter for the Arc of Washington County.

The House of Delegates has passed Gov. Martin O'Malley's proposal to create a grant process to help get people the skills for jobs that are in high demand. The House passed the bill 115 to 23 on Tuesday. The Senate already has approved the measure. It makes $2.5 million available for the Employment Advancement Now Initiative. The program will encourage regional training collaborations among businesses, nonprofits, colleges and local governments. It also will focus on industries such as traditional and advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity and health care.

I was troubled by misinformation in Art Callaham's column (Feb. 17) promoting the blogs of Rabbi Pruzansky. It is simply untrue to state that President Obama didn't defend his first-term record or put forward a second-term agenda. He frequently detailed his accomplishments while defining his second-term goals - on camera, in print and online. Mr. Callaham and some others portray those of us who voted for President Obama as uninformed or freeloaders. Perhaps the majority of Americans re-elected President Obama because they were informed voters.

Washington County Director of Public Works Joseph Kroboth III is retiring from the position he has held since 2007, but will be taking on new duties as the director of Transportation and Capital Infrastructure with Loudoun County, Virginia. Kroboth said he was looking for a new challenge at this time in his career. “I'm the type of person who enjoys high energy, being very busy, being involved in a lot of projects,” Kroboth said. Loudoun County, one of the richest and fastest-growing in the nation, should meet that expectation.

Letterkenny Army Depot stands to be one of the biggest losers if the federal sequestration cuts take place as scheduled in one week. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the depot would absorb spending reductions of more than $449 million. This would mean a massive loss of jobs and a ripple effect on the economy. “We've got real families here that are very nervous and anxious about what's going to happen,” said L. Michael Ross, president of the Franklin County (Pa.)