Military job fairs are a fertile field

Odessans have long shown their appreciation for the sacrifices and service of our military men and women in far-away lands. But now the Permian Basin would welcome help from troops a little closer to home.

This time, the Odessa Chamber of Commerce, City of Odessa, the Permian Basin Workforce Board and Flint Hills Resources are going to great efforts to lure soldiers nearing the end of their tour of duty to settle in this area and take some of the abundant jobs that currently are unfilled.

Representatives of those entities have visited Fort Hood in Central Texas and will be going to Fort Bliss May 22 to participate in military-sponsored job fairs.

This approach makes a lot of sense. After all, Odessa and the surrounding area have lots of good opportunities for young people in search of a career. And the military has a lot of young people who are already trained in fields of specialty and who could step right into this labor market.

Of course, there will be a lot of competition for those trained soldiers because the labor shortage is not unique to Odessa. But at least the job fairs offer ready access to hundreds of prospects at the same time. This approach should be more productive than posting ads in publications and sitting around hoping somebody will reply.

And it's a good deal for soon-to-be civilians. They get a chance to explore all sorts of opportunities without having to beat the pavement and fill out a lot of paperwork. Plus the job seekers can find out a lot of information about a prospective job without having to commit a lot of time and effort.

Randy Stovall, transition services manager for the Army Career and Alumni Program at Fort Bliss, said the base has held about two job fairs a year since 1991. Typically, it attracts between 750 and 1,000 military members. "It gives them an opportunity to expose themselves to the civilian workforce, which they haven't been exposed to in their service years," Stovall said. "Our job is to ensure that the soldiers are ready to present themselves to the civilian world."

The upcoming fair in El Paso is expected to draw about 100 employers from across the nation.

The City of Odessa will send recruiters in search of police officers, utility workers and dispatchers.

Considering the difficult time employers are encountering in attracting and keeping workers in Odessa, catching the eye of even a handful of the soldiers would be considered a major success.

And, hey, if you've served in the Middle East, even the arid conditions of West Texas would seem attractive by comparison.