DATE: Sunday, July 27, 1997                 TAG: 9707270122

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MICHAEL CLARK, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   47 lines

JOB FAIR HELPS IDLE WORKERS AND THE CITY, ORGANIZERS SAY

A job fair aiming to expand local access to construction work on the MacArthur Center mall project helped everybody, organizers said Saturday.

The fair, sponsored by the city and the not-for-profit group Norfolk Works, drew a solid group of candidates to Scope, said Alphonso Albert, business liaison for Norfolk Works.

``We had 80 applicants for construction jobs and 15 contractors here,'' Albert said.

The turnout pleased event organizers. The prospect of work pleased job-seekers.

``The city's requirement of greater minority participation is met,'' Albert said, ``and the community works together.''

In its third year, Norfolk Works is an independent agency that trains people for jobs and keeps a database of available workers.

``It's all about providing access,'' said David Ollison, a Norfolk Works neighborhood counselor. ``The job fair is for anyone. We're looking for the full spectrum of people, from common laborers to subcontractors.''

Catherine Joyce, 40, does not have construction experience, but came to the fair to find work.

``They told me there were some jobs for laborers,'' she said, adding that she does have some experience ``painting around the house.''

She came to the fair because it looked promising.

``I'm just looking for a job,'' she said.

Organizers said most applicants at Saturday's fair had experience. Past job fairs have produced good numbers of applicants, Albert said, but their qualifications haven't always been evident.

``We have people here with fairly good qualifications,'' Albert said.

The difference, he said, was that the agency had more TV and radio exposure for this fair.

Among those who came was Morris Cooper, 42, who has 20 years experience in construction.

``I've been a laborer, carpenter, drove a forklift, mixed mortar,'' he said. ``But I really love to paint, so I'll probably find something there.''

Shelton Williams, a city management analyst assigned to MacArthur Center, said the 15 subcontractors who attended the fair are small businesses, minority-owned, or businesses with limited resources or incomes.

Some of the subcontractors at the fair have hired workers from Norfolk Works in the past, Albert said.

``When that happens, everybody wins.''

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