Written by Sharla Bardin for 19th St. Magazine, June 2021  

Moore Norman Technology Center offers an online job board that gives employers a place to recruit for positions and connect to additional workforce resources.

Employers can post a job for free on the site www.mntc.edu/employers, said Tina Fitzgerald, Career and College Connection coordinator.

“When they post, their job opening can be viewed by students, alumni and community job seekers.”

Fitzgerald said the center developed the online resource six years ago and plans are to upgrade the site with additional features this summer, such as providing more space for students to outline examples of their professional skills.

Fitzgerald oversees the site and said it’s one avenue to help students gain employment. Her office also works with students on other skills, such as writing resumes, searching for jobs and practicing interviewing skills.

“My whole goal is to have a prepared workforce and great opportunities for them,” she said.

The job site gives employers “a direct line to our students and our instructors.”

For example, if an employer posts a job for a heating, ventilation and air conditioning technician, students and instructors in that program will see the job ad, she said.

To access the site, employers must register and provide information about their company. From there, information is sent to the applicant about posting on the site.

The job board also provides employers with ways to get involved with the center, such as offering work-based learning opportunities for students, participating in the center’s job fairs or a mock interview day or joining a center’s program advisory committee where members guide and improve existing programs, according to the site.

Shar McLaughlin encourages businesses to find avenues to network with the technology center, which has served her company well, she said. McLaughlin and her husband started Irish Green Lawn Care Inc. in 2001. The Moore company specializes in lawn fertilization and weed control.

McLaughlin said creating connections with instructors, for example, has given them insight into her business and what she’s looking for in new hires.

For example, McLaughlin recently worked with Leslie Pfrehm, Accounting instructor, on finding an employee with accounting skills. McLaughlin said the employee she hired is fantastic, and she’s employed other center students through the years. She said some of the qualities she’s looking for in new hires include technology and computer skills, and center students have that experience and expertise.

“They know all the programs. They have the skills. They’re ready to go to work,” McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin encourages employers to visit the center and “meet the teachers for the specific departments that you think would benefit your company and get involved.”

Fitzgerald said the online job board and other workforce resources offer more ways for employers to interact with the center’s instructors and programs and connect students with jobs.

“We just bring them together any way we can,” Fitzgerald said.

For more information about the job board and other employer services, email Fitzgerald at tina.fitzgerald@mntc.edu.