Retail, manufacturing job fairs scheduled

Two job fairs are in the works for job-seekers interested in positions in retail or advanced manufacturing in New Hampshire.This Friday, March 30, a job fair will be held to fill positions at the Merrimack Premium Outlets, the upscale outlet mall that is slated to open June 14.Representatives from many of the center’s 100 stores will be on hand filling sales positions, and there will also be openings in management, security and center customer service.The job fair will be held from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Nashua Community College at 505 Amherst St. in Nashua.And on Saturday, April 14, Hypertherm of Hanover will hold a job fair to recruit up to 14 CNC machine apprentices.Since the beginning of 2011, Hypertherm has hired more than 100 CNC machine operators through its partnership with River Valley Community College’s STAR program.The program offers workers an accelerated, two year-advanced manufacturing apprenticeship while being employed with Hypertherm.At the same time, workers earn 27 college credits and a certificate in advanced machine tool technology that can be applied towards an associate’s degree at the college.No experience is necessary to apply for the machinist positions, which will be for second- and third-shift operations. Workers earn a starting wage of $13 per hour with full benefits, and wages may increase incrementally over two years to $15 to $17 per hour based on performance.Program participants will be selected through a recruitment process that begins with the job fair at 8 a.m. at the Hypertherm Technical Training Institute in Lebanon.The job fair will include presentations from Hypertherm staff as well as assessments and interviews with Hypertherm recruiters.Individuals interested in applying to the program must visit rivervalley.edu to fill out an online application.For more information about the Hypertherm positions, contact Jim Britton at River Valley Community College at 603-542-7744 ex. 5346 or jbritton@ccsnh.edu.For more information about the outlets job fair, contact Zandy Dezonie at 603-228-4004 or zandy.l.dezonie@nhes.nh.gov or Mary Descoteaux at 603-228-4001 or mary.l.descoteaux@nhes.nh.gov. — KATHLEEN CALLAHAN/NEW HAMPSHIRE BUSINESS REVIEW