World Heritage Week brings job, cultural opportunity

  As part of its World Heritage Week, Arizona Western College welcomed the community to its job fair with 65 organizations that recruited for jobs, internships and study abroad opportunities Wednesday.

  "It's not just about jobs but about life experiences," Carmen Faucon, AWC career development director, said.

  The fair, held outside the library, focused not only on opportunity but offered international cuisine and fashion that featured Asian, African, Native and South American artists who brought the world closer to Yuma.

  Organizers included an international program and language immersion booths to offer students contacts with branch operations abroad and encourage students to take advantage of overseas opportunities.

  Barry Holloway, learning services distance eduction director who provides guidance to online students, conducted two services: Cross Cultural Solutions and International Volunteers to help students with third-party agencies that connect students with opportunities abroad.

  Meanwhile, Ken Kuntzelman, international program coordinator, is working toward bypassing third parties and getting AWC students to study abroad with partnership schools. The main advantage will be affordability and certainty of credit transfer, and he hopes to have a program in place by next fall.

  Regardless of growth potential, some students see the most expedient opportunity at home. Bianca De La Torre, 25, received a general studies degree from AWC in 2003 and graduated from Arizona State University with a major in communications in 2006.

  De La Torre said many of the recruiters had lucrative jobs available but required specialized training.

  "I spoke to ECIII Electronics and they need an engineering grad, but I don't have that background," De La Torre said.

   Yet De La Torre noted the fair was better than looking online or the newspaper classified section because it afforded the chance to meet face to face with employers and answer applicants' questions.

  After a second pass among recruiters, De La Torre said, she was encouraged by meeting the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation representative whom she provided with a resume.

  "I'm encouraged she gave me her business card and she told me to call if I had any questions, so I'll probably follow up with an e-mail," she said.

  Scott Fischer, wildlife manager with Arizona Game and Fish Department, noted they had a multitude of positions available, but their "big thing" was wildlife managers.

  "In simple terms, we are game wardens," Fischer said. "We enforce state laws as apply to hunting, fishing, watercraft use and off-highway vehicles. We also practice biology, and Arizona requires their game wardens to have a four-year degree in biology."

  He added that a background in hunting or fishing helps but is not mandatory, yet having an interest in resource management is a plus for an applicant.

  Also recruiting was Keri De Lozier, general manager for Lens Crafters in Yuma Palms Plaza. Lens Crafters has paid internships available and a two-year program for those interested in becoming a licensed optician.

  De Lozier noted she currently has a need for retail associates and lab production technicians, since they make their lenses on site.

  "We fully train and it's paid," De Lozier said. "We just want reliable people who like working with the public ... If you're a wallflower, it's going to be difficult because the job requires you to talk to any and everybody all the time."

  Mel Parker, career development coordinator, said the fair was intended to accommodate both the entry level job seeker as well as those career-minded applicants.

   But, Parker cautioned, the fair is not a job interview, since there is only time for a few introductory remarks. Dress for success, ask relevant questions and strive for a positive first impression, he said.

---
William Roller can be reached at
wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.