On Monday it was announced that the Graphic Packaging plant in Menasha will be closing. On the line is the hundreds of jobs are said to be lost when the company closes late this year, but job placement specialists are saying there's a growing opportunity for finding other valued jobs right in the Fox Valley.
By the end of December 230 people working at Menasha’s Graphic Packaging plant will be out of work. But today job search specialists say this community is plum full of opportunities.
Job centers are typically pretty busy, but when the economy is good job seekers don't have to spend so much time here.
"The job market right now is relatively strong. Unemployment is low and there are a lot of good employers who are out looking for people," says Paul Stelter the CEO of the Fox Valley Workforce Development Board.
In light of Graphic Packaging's future closing the Fox Valley Workforce Development Board is preparing for more job seekers.
"We've assembled what we call a rapid response team," says Stelter.
"Our next step is going to be reaching out and planning some information sessions for the impacted workers," adds Bobbi Miller of the Fox Valley Workforce Development Board and part of the rapid response team.
In the Fox Valley there are unfilled jobs in manufacturing, the service industry, blue collar work, white collar work, and entry level positions of all kinds.
"We'll be able to provide help for individuals in career planning, resume development, interviewing and even how to go about searching for a job," says Stelter.
"They might need to go through some assessments and think about some new training or career options,"
But the real key to landing your next job according to the experts is to begin the search now rather than waiting for everyone else to apply for similar work all at once.
Coming up just next week in neighboring Oshkosh on the 24th, there will be a job fair with over 60 employers looking to fill the gaps left at Graphic Packaging.
That job fair is next Tuesday and it starts at 10:30 AM at the Sunnyview Expo Center in Oshkosh. For additional resources to help find your next job just visit some of the resources below.
http://www.foxvalleywork.org/jobfair.html
