By John Howell Sr.

The 2012 Northwest Mississippi Area Job Fair has been set for Thursday, June 28 at the Batesville Civic Center.

The Batesville event is one of a series planned by the Mississippi Governor’s Job Fair Network that facilitates connections between people seeking jobs and employers seeking employees.

“Employers tell us that our job fairs surpass those put on by private employment groups,” Job Fair Network Director Adam Todd told a committee of Panola area job fair planners during a recent meeting.

Almost 50 employers were met with an estimated 1,300 applicants during the 2011 job fair in Batesville. The Mississippi Department of Employment Security recorded that 333 job offers were made on the day of last year’s event and used follow-up data to project that 817 people were hired as a result of an initial contact at the job fair.

Job Fairs are funded by the fees that employers pay to participate. Employers find that participation streamlines their efforts to connect with the right applicants, Todd said.

The planning phase for the 2012 job fair in Batesville now includes reaching out to employers who plan to seek workers. For information contact the WIN Job Center at 563-7318 or go to www.jobfairs.ms.gov.