HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – MassHire hosted a job fair Tuesday in Holyoke prioritizing helping local veterans find jobs.
Amazon, MGM, the Postal Service, the Veterans Home in Holyoke and Western Massachusetts’ newest behavioral healthcare facility Valley Spring were among those that set up shop in Holyoke looking for skilled and dedicated veterans to fill open jobs.
“We’re looking to staff up our facility. Finding qualified candidates has been a challenge in the marketplace we are in,” said Domenick Cornacchioli, Director of HR at Valley Spring Behavioral Health.
The job fair for veterans and civilians attracted eleven local businesses and dozens of applicants to their Steam Building location on Race St. in Holyoke. The two-hour fair was limited to military heroes in the first hour and opened up to the general public for the second hour. That first hour was prime opportunity to find the hardest working candidates.
“Veterans, we come from a diverse background. We have leadership skills, the main thing, we have discipline. Veterans work well together as a team,” said Springfield Veteran Rep Rodney Evans.
“Most of the time we get veterans in who don’t know how their military background translates to the civilian workforce and that’s where we come in,” said Springfield Veteran Rep James Acker.
On the first and third Wednesday of every month, MassHire hosts a Veteran Virtual Services session providing online help in career counseling, skills assessment, resume preparation and more. In addition, their new Job Club will meet Wednesday, November 15th at the Steam Building. You can always access MassHire’s services on their website.
Duncan MacLean is a reporter who has been a part of the 22News team since 2019. Follow Duncan on X @DMacLeanWWLP and view his bio to see more of his work.
