Visitors to Coulee Career Fest meet with potential employers about career opportunities

They used to call it a “job fair,” but a gathering of employers at the Omni Center on Tuesday had a new name for this year’s event…the Coulee Career Fest.

Dozens of employers had exhibits at the Onalaska event, ready to give information to young and old workers exploring career options.

Kevin Ruetten with the Western Wisconsin Workforce Development Board says a wide variety of jobs was represented. “We’re really proud that the over 70 businesses, over 70 employers that are here, they’re representing every sector, from manufacturing, IT, health care, transportation, construction, clerical, office, hospitality,” said Ruetten.

Besides featuring booths from those many employers, the Career Fest also about 70 employers, offered services and advice on finding work from sources such as Wisconsin Job Service and the La Crosse Chamber of Commerce.

Ruetten says the goal of Tuesday’s gathering was to help visitors do more than just find a job.

“We’re really focusing on careers,” said Ruetten, “where they come in and talk to the employers about, I get the job, entry level, professional level, mid level.” He says the visitors find out the next steps to move up within an organization, with a “great income and benefits.”

While many private companies had staff at the Career Fest, there were also booths representing colleges, local government, and Fort McCoy. Organizers estimated that about 350 people attended the event, which Ruetten says is a great improvement over attendance the last couple of years.