IBERIA PARISH — The search for jobs and skilled workers brought hundreds of neighbors to the City Park Recreation Center in New Iberia on Thursday afternoon.
The Iberia Career and Skill Up Resource Fair connected job seekers with nearly 50 employers, mentors, and educators—each actively looking to make a difference in the lives of attendees by offering both immediate employment and long-term career pathways.
For many, the face-to-face connections were the highlight.
“I feel like it's better meeting them face to face because they could get a glimpse of your character and the type of person you are,” said attendee Oteder Foster.
Organizers say the fair was designed with the everyday resident in mind.
“This is for the average individual,” said Marlon Moore, Career Coordinator with South Louisiana Community College and Acadiana Workforce Solutions. “I hope that everyone who walks out of this door has the tools and information necessary to basically enhance and skill up their career.”
The opportunities, attendees say, are much needed in a community where good-paying jobs can feel out of reach.
“The jobs over here offer great benefits and higher pay,” Foster added.
Moore emphasized that the fair is just the beginning of a broader effort to strengthen Iberia Parish’s workforce.
“We want every event to be bigger and bigger and bigger because the citizens of New Iberia deserve that. They deserve it,” he said.
With plans to expand the fair each year, organizers hope to continue bridging the gap between job seekers and industries in need of skilled workers, helping residents connect not just with jobs, but with careers that can change their lives.
