LOS ANGELES – Young people searching for summer jobs will be getting some much needed help from Water and Power Community Credit Union which is hosting two separate job fairs in May at two of their branches in the Los Angeles area. The Neighborhood Community Job Fairs will be held May 8 in Northridge and May 15 in Montebello. At least 25 area employers are expected to staff booths – including representatives from the credit union – with a crowd of about 400 job seekers anticipated. The credit union launched the job fairs after seeing a need to bring employers and job seekers together. "We saw an enormous number of young people with no jobs," explained Marianne Noss, a marketing specialist at WPCCU. "They are an integral part of our credit union. We want them to grow up with us." Last year's job fair at the Northridge branch was the first time the event was held. It was expanded this year to include the Montebello branch. Both branches opened about two years ago. "The reason we're doing it is to bring together employers and potential candidates that are qualified, to serve our community and to get ourselves known in the community," Noss said. "We want to serve the children of our members by giving them an opportunity to look around for summer jobs." "I think we are pretty firmly entrenched in the new communities but we like to help people get jobs for the summer, particularly youth," she added. The previous job fair in Northridge attracted both high school- and college-age job seekers, as well as middle-age and older residents who were seeking employment or a change of jobs, she said. One of those seeking employment was hired by the credit union and works today in the call center. Although geared to help job seekers find summer employment, some of the employers at the fair will be looking to hire people longer term, Noss said. "It could be first jobs, summer jobs and jobs in general," she said. "It depends on the company." There is no cost to the businesses or the job candidates to attend the fair. The credit union picks up the tab for the 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday events. Employers who have already committed to the event include retail and clothing stores, manufacturers, entertainment venues, hotels, restaurants and fast food outlets and government agencies, including recruiters from the U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army. "Jobs are not that easy to come by these days but we have amassed a group of employers that are looking for full- and part-time help," said Ron Stratman, director of marketing for WPCCU. "We want to support today's young job seekers in that endeavor and at the same time, provide companies with a venue for efficiently finding qualified applicants." The credit union also plans to hold a drawing again this year for a $500 U.S. Savings Bond. WPCCU, founded in 1936, has some 46,000 members and $440 million in assets. "We're community minded," Noss said. "We like to take care of people, the people in the community. . . We're there for them. We're there for the community." -

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