ORANGE, Texas — Lamar State College Orange is hosting a job fair to help hundreds of employees who are losing their jobs at the end of the year due to two major companies closing down.
International Paper and Invista are shutting their doors by the new year, leaving hundreds of people without a job.
LSCO is partnering with Workforce Solutions to host a 2-day job fair.
The job fair will be held on Thursday, November 9, 2023 and Friday, November 10, 2023 on the campus at the J. Michael and Bridget Shahan Events Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Orange.
If you worked for Invista or International Paper, you are asked to bring your work identification card. Organizers say out-of-work employees will be given top priority. You should also bring your resume for on-the-spot interviews.
Organizers say the employees who have already committed to the job fair are searching for qualified candidates for jobs that offer competitive pay.
They want employers to know that all sorts of businesses are welcome and they are specifically targeting employers in Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana.
The Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Ida Schossow say the two companies closing has a huge impact on the community.
"So, Invista I believe, about 330 people are gonna lose their jobs there," she said.
And at International Paper, the numbers are expected to be even higher, which is a domino effect across the community.
"You know taxes that the counties and the cities receive, it's going to impact school districts with them closing and the money that they get," she said.
Lamar State College Orange, Workforce Solutions and the Orange Chamber of Commerce are finding solutions.
The Dean of Academics Technical and Workforce Studies at Lamar State College Orange, Kristin Tow-Walker, said city leaders have brought people together to create the job fair.
"Every entity, Judge John Gothia's office, Larry Spears as the mayor, each one of them have brought people together," Tow-Walker said.
Hiring employers should sign up.
"The welding, logistics, manufacturing, and mechanical would be ideal to be the vendors," she said. "We also will be doing the excel class, the career coaching, the interview coaching, resume writing in the morning of November 10."
The second day of the job fair will also offer applying for college and participating in a free fork-lift operator course.
GET NEWS & WEATHER ALERTS | Download the 12News App to your mobile device
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.