The Fall River Career Center organized a Resource Fair on July 20, 2007 for the 900 employees of Quaker Fabric Corporation who were laid off earlier in the month when the company announced it would be closing. Employees were divided into morning and afternoon sessions to enable the large group of employees the space to move around to over thirty tables with representatives of a variety of human service organizations, local vocational schools and a handful of employers looking to recruit new workers. Many of the displaced workers had limited English proficiency and many lacked a high school education. "People seem to be responding very well to what we are offering," commented Jim Calkins, Director of Bristol County Training and the Workforce Investment Board that oversees the Career Center. Click here for a link to the Herald News article about the Fair. For more information about the Career Center, contact Mary Walek at (508) 675-1165, Ext. 108.
 

(Top row, left) Keith Stamp registers for the Fair with Bettina Wholean of the BCC Office for Administration and Chris Ayah of the Bristol County Training Consortium. (Top row, center) Christine Paltus, center, of the Salter School answers a question about one of their programs. (Top row, right) Filomena  and Carlos Pereira get assistance in completing their registration form from Peter Amaral of Representative Michael Rodrigues office. (Middle row, left) Scott Raymond of Portola Tech International in Woonsocket talks with two prospective job applicants. (Middle row, center) Bristol Training Consortium Director Jim Calkins, center, walks among the hundreds of former Quaker employees at the Fair. (Middle row, right) Joe Medeiros and Joe Ferreira talk with SER-Jobs Executive Director Paula Raposa. (Bottom row, left) Representatives of the Stop & Shop warehouse in Freetown were on hand to recruit new employees. (Bottom row, center) Dalia Bolirno gets some reassurance from fellow worker Helena Moura. (Bottom row, right) Workers look over medical information offered at the St. Anne's Hospital table where Social Work Department Director Mary Cochrane, right, answers questions.