US Congressman Ruben Hinojosa is excited to talk about job growth in the valley.
“We have been able to do this with education and job training,” said Hinojosa at the Workforce Solutions corporate office in McAllen.
He strongly believes in what’s considered a downed economy, the valley is on its way up when it comes to employing people who want to work hard.
"I am very optimistic," said Hinojosa.
The proof is in the numbers.
"The state average of unemployment is 8% and here in Hidalgo County, it’s slightly below 13%.
That doesn’t scare me at all because in 1997 when I was sworn into congress, unemployment in Hidalgo County was at 22%," said Hinojosa.
Now it's time to keep up the momentum by offering a job fair to bring applicants face to face with employers from across the valley.
"We have 1,100 jobs to fill and we can do it."
Action 4 News, Workforce Solutions and Workforce Solutions Cameron, in conjunction with Congressman Hinojosa's office, are teaming up to get more people in the valley back to work.
Yvonne Gonzalez is the CEO of Workforce Solutions and encourages the unemployed to make the effort to get themselves back into the workforce.
"Please come get yourselves prepared to join us at this job fair taking place on November 8th,” said Gonzalez.
She sees firsthand how many people have the potential to jump right into a successful career, but may not have all the tools.
That's why workforce solutions is gearing up for this year's job fair by getting those potential employees prepared ahead of time.
"We currently offer job readiness training that means people will go through a series of courses and training to become ready and prepared to take a job when it’s offered. The training includes resume writing, interview skills, tells candidates how to dress, how to respond to interview questions and what their rights are as an employee," said Gonzalez about the importance of contacting Workforce Solutions ahead of the job fair.
With this much support from community organizations and Congressman Hinojosa, people who have been pessimistic about finding work may be singing a different tune before the end of the year.
The Economic Resource and Career Fair will be held at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo on November 8th from 9:30am to 3:30pm.
Action 4 News will also host a Job Call Center on November 2nd during the 5 and 6pm newscasts with employers and Workforce Solutions representatives in our studios to answer your calls about employment opportunities.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKGBT