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Category Archives: Jobs
Fort Scott – Bourbon County JOB FAIR
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Gain Lifelong Skills While Getting Paid to Be In A National Park Youth Corps
Youth Conservation Corps program
Fort Scott Kan. – Fort Scott National Historic Site is looking for 6 energetic and outgoing teens to participate in our 2023 summer Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) program running Monday through Friday from June 12 through August 4. This eight-week program is for young people between the ages of 15 and 18 years of age. Shifts start at 8 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. with a one-hour lunch. Salary is $15.00 per hour.
For more information and to download your application, go to www.nps.gov/fosc/learn/kidsyouth/ycc.htm, or pick up an application at the Fort. Applications received by the park on/or before Friday, May 12, 2023, will be considered first. You may hand deliver your completed application back to the park
No previous experience is required, but a willingness and ability to work in a physically active outdoor program, get along well with others, and maintain a positive attitude are essential for success. YCC participants will be immersed in a curriculum of Historic Preservation, Stewardship, Interpretation/Education, and Leadership. The program culminates with a unit on resume building and navigating USA Jobs, the government’s hiring website.
Activities may include ranger-led programs, Living History programs, being guest speakers, enrollee and staff presentations, assisting field rangers and/or scientists, and trips to other parks, businesses, and throughout the area. Participants will also spend time completing projects which may include fence and bench building; repairing/rehabilitating historic structures; general maintenance work; painting/staining; and exotic plant control.
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Kansas Virtual Job Fair on March 29
Commerce Announces Virtual Job Fair in March For State Agency Jobs
TOPEKA – Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland encourages jobseekers to attend a State of Kansas Agencies Virtual Job Fair hosted by KANSASWORKS, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29. This virtual fair will focus on highlighting employment opportunities within many of the state’s 98 government agencies.
“Our Kansas agencies are brimming with opportunities for Kansans to have good paying jobs with excellent benefits and a variety of employee perks and discounts,” Lt. Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “We need talented people that are interested in doing important and meaningful work across the state to join one of our many winning teams.”
Registration is required to participate in the event, regardless of previous participation. The Virtual Job Fair portal features a jobseeker training video, a list of participating employers and channels for attendees to register and log in. Jobseekers are encouraged to dress professionally, as employers might request to engage in a video interview.
Candidates can participate via any digital device. Any individual with a disability may request accommodations by contacting their nearest workforce center at (877) 509-6757 prior to the event.
Click here to register for the March 29 Virtual Job Fair.
About KANSASWORKS:
KANSASWORKS links businesses, job candidates and educational institutions to ensure that employers can find skilled workers. Services are provided to employers and job candidates through the state’s 27 workforce centers, online or virtual services KANSASWORKS is completely free for all Kansans to use. Learn more at KANSASWORKS.com. State employment opportunities can be found at jobs.ks.gov.
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Bourbon County Job Fair April 13
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Jennifer Hawkins Selected As Bourbon County Clerk by Republican Party
Jennifer Hawkins, 34, was selected from a field of three persons to become the next Bourbon County Clerk last evening at a Republican Party Convention.
“We had three individuals contact the (Republican) party,” Mark McCoy, chairman, said.
He will forward Hawkins name to be approved to Governor Kelly today. Outgoing Bourbon County Clerk Ashley Shelton’s last day in February 3. Shelton resigned last week.
Today Hawkins is being sworn in as Bourbon County Deputy Clerk, then her first day as clerk is Feb. 6, she said.
Hawkins has worked for the county government for almost a decade.
“I have worked as the lead motor vehicle clerk in the treasurer’s office for five years, and as the office manager of the public works department for 4.5 years,” she said.
She has helped with accounts payable and payroll in the county clerks office as well.
“I have a working relationship with all the county offices and feel I can help move the county forward,” Hawkins said. “I want to do my part to see Bourbon County and Fort Scott succeed.”
With the loss of the two other office staff in the clerk’s office besides Shelton, “It will be rough until I can get some additional help hired,” she said
“I will be hiring two full time office staff, one will be deputy county clerk (who will also be the) accounts payable clerk,” she said. “One will be a front office clerk to assist Bourbon County residents by manning the switchboard and helping with licensing and hunting licenses.”
The staff will have to absorb a part time position, Hawkins said.
Hawkins said the county has “wonderful benefits to offer” including retirement, health insurance (including dental and vision), vacation and sick leave.
Hawkins was born and raised in Fort Scott, attending Fort Scott High School and Fort Scott Community College.
She has a 15- year-old daughter who attends Fort Scott High School and whose activities keep her “pretty busy with her school functions.”
Tim Shellenburger New Kansas Senator Representing Bourbon County
Another new face will be serving Bourbon County as the District 13 Kansas Senator.
On January 22, a Republican Convention was held in Columbus to select a new senator for District 13 replacing Richard Hilderbrand who resigned. Tim Shallenburger was selected.
“He is a former Kansas State Representative,” McCoy said. “Most recently he was the mayor of Baxter Springs.”
District 13 encompasses Bourbon, Crawford and Cherokee Counties.
Data Received: Bourbon County Eco Devo Moving Forward
Bourbon County Regional Economic Development Inc. hired a consulting company to do local studies on retail, housing and labor in the county. That study was completed this fall.
“Last year, REDI was able to work with both Goldstone Consulting and O’Brian and Associates on the Retail, Housing, and Labor studies,” Rob Harrington, REDI CEO said. “These studies were able to provide us with the necessary data to move forward on several initiatives in 2023.”
“One of those initiatives is a Small Business Retention and Expansion Program for our local businesses,” he said. “We will be working throughout this next year to visit and create ways to help these companies continue to grow within Bourbon County. “
“We will also begin working with a group of citizens throughout Bourbon County on housing development initiatives,’ he said. “This housing committee will be instrumental in creating ways for us to not only attract developers but also new residents and marketing our communities to outside markets”.
REDI will continue to work to bring new developments in commercial and industrial business to Bourbon County by using the data from these reports as well as building on the partnerships that have grown over the last two years, Harrington said.
“All of the reports were paid for by Bourbon County REDI and we will continue to use our funds to help grow our county and ultimately work towards lowering taxes for everyone who lives and owns businesses in Bourbon County,” he said.
To see the data and findings:
Harrington became the director of REDI last year, to view prior stories:
Brad Matkin is the New Fort Scott Interim City Manager
At the Fort Scott City Commission meeting on Dec. 20, Brad Matkin was promoted to interim city manager, after having served as assistant city manager since September 2022.
Josh Jones, a Fort Scott Commissioner, congratulated Matkins for being moved up to interim city manager on his Facebook page, following the meeting.
“The current interim city manager will be retained at a cheaper rate to provide guidance for Brad,” Jones said.
On Sept. 20, the City of Fort Scott hired Jeff Hancock as interim city manager, and appointed Brad Matkin, current Human Resource Director, to become assistant city manager in addition to his HR duties. Matkin’s salary was increased to $85,000 annually.
To view a prior story:
Zellner Resigns, New Interim Jeff Hancock is Hired as FS City Manager
Matkin is in a 90 evaluation period for the city manager position now, he said.
“They will review the situation in three months,” Matkin said. “I’ll still be doing the human resource duties but will be looking for additional staff to take over some of the roles I have.”
Matkin’s city manager duties include:
communications to citizens, staff, commission, and media;
staffing-there are currently 92 employees with searches on for one more in the streets, police and fire departments;
day-to-day operations;
and project management.
Here are the projects he manages as interim city manager:
There is a winter street project, which will be busy the next couple of days with an Arctic Blast headed this way.
“We’ve got a great group of guys in the streets department,” Matkin said. “And the street superintendent has been through this kind of weather before. The dump trucks and plows are ready.”
The water department could be busy with broken pipes during this upcoming Arctic Blast, he said.
Other projects under his jurisdiction: resolving the downtown parking shortage, the Memorial Hall renovation, the golf course and Gunn Park improvements, and 100 more Fort Scott blocks of streets to be chipped and sealed, Matkin said.
“And whatever comes up, day to day,” he said.
“As mayor, I have had the privilege of working with Mr. Matkin on many different occasions in his previous role as Assistant City Manager,” FS Mayor Katherine Harrington said. “I feel that over this time he has grown as a manager and demonstrated that he was ready to take on this new role as Interim. I look forward to working with him more in 2023 and seeing how he leads this community forward.”
Kansas Virtual Job Fair on Dec. 14
Governor Laura Kelly Encourages Job Seekers to Attend End-of-Year Statewide Virtual Job Fair
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly invites job seekers and employers to participate in the last Statewide Virtual Job Fair being offered in 2022. This virtual fair is hosted by KANSASWORKS and will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 14.
“Since 2109, we have attracted more than $14 billion in capital investment from the private sector and created more than 53,000 jobs,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “This type of monumental growth requires a workforce to meet the needs of these businesses. I encourage any Kansan looking for a new opportunity to participate in the virtual job fair.”
Registration is required in order to participate in the event, regardless of previous participation. The Virtual Statewide Job Fair portal features a Job Seeker Training video, a list of participating employers, and channels for attendees to register and log in.
“The Statewide Virtual Job Fairs have been very successful in helping Kansans find new career paths,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “With companies hiring throughout the state, there are jobs available for anyone that is looking and our KANSASWORKS centers are ready and willing to help.”
Workforce development teams provide assistance with the job search process, creating effective resumes, job training, job placement and more. Job seekers are encouraged to dress professionally, as employers might request to engage in a video interview on the spot.
Candidates can participate via any digital device. Any individual with a disability may request accommodations by contacting their nearest workforce center at (877) 509-6757 prior to the event.
Click here to register for the December 14 Virtual Job Fair.
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Bourbon County REDI Completes Workforce Assessment
An in-depth assessment of the workforce in Bourbon County has been completed and it offers a series of recommendations for BCREDI to work on immediately and for the long term. That’s according to Executive Director Robert Harrington. The workforce assessment was one of three studies BCREDI has undertaken since early spring, with the other two focused on retail opportunities and housing needs.
Along workforce study included one-on-one interviews with key employers as well as a survey that provided input from more than sixty-four employers in the county. Residents also had their input, with more than 440 people providing input. More than 80% are currently employed, including a sampling of those who commute into the county for work. In addition, nearly 130 Ft. Scott and Uniontown school students gave their thoughts on their education and careers.
“This workforce assessment provides a lot of on the ground input from companies, employees, those that might want to come back to a job and students that will help our staff and board develop ways to improve our overall workforce,” said Harrington. Harrington noted the input from surveys helps fill in the gaps that the extensive statistical data in the report doesn’t address. “The data can tell us a lot about how we are doing in Bourbon County, how we compare to our surrounding counties and other areas on things like wages and how many people commute in and out for work. But it doesn’t tell us things like how employers view the skills of the workforce and what skills they think are important and, on the other side, how satisfied employees are with their current work and their own levels of skills,” noted Harrington.
The workforce assessment was conducted by O’Brian & Associates, an economic and workforce development consulting firm based in Joplin, MO. Along with the on-the ground input and statistical data, the firm’s report also provides a series of recommendations as a starting point for action. “They gave us good observations on where we are today and what our employers and employees, including our future workforce, needs to be successful. From that they gave us a variety of recommendations on improving training, connecting students to employers, better supporting existing employers and engaging those not currently in the workforce,” said Harrington. “Now it’s up to our staff and board to look at priorities as well as key partners such as the school districts, Ft. Scott Community College, Chamber of Commerce and others to start the work in the new year,” he added.
“It was a pleasure working with the Bourbon County REDI team and having such great response from companies, residents and students,” said Rob O’Brian, founder of O’Brian & Associates. “Bourbon County has strong manufacturing, health care, education and agriculture sectors that have provided good job opportunities and good education options for many years. This study gives REDI a starting point for improving what it has, adding new options and ensuring residents have good jobs and companies have skilled employees into the future.”
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Lack Of Agriculture Workforce Is Inhibiting Growth
A lack of a skilled agriculture workforce is a top inhibitor of growth and expansion for many Kansas agriculture entities. To help support growth in agriculture, the Kansas Department of Agriculture seeks to help the industry better understand workforce needs among agricultural employers in the state. To link the supply of human capital to the needs of Kansas agribusiness enterprises, KDA conducted the second Kansas Agriculture Workforce Needs Assessment Survey in 2022. The survey was analyzed by the Agricultural Land Use Survey Center at Kansas State University.
The survey was emailed to over 25,000 businesses with 1,192 choosing to participate. Participating businesses employ 27,466 individuals in Kansas and 9,244 outside of Kansas. Respondents were asked to self-select the major category that applied to their business.
“We are committed to growing agriculture in Kansas, and that centers around a reliable and capable workforce,” said Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam. “We know recruiting and retaining skilled, talented workers to fill critical roles is a priority of the agriculture industry in our state.”
The survey findings will be used along with action items developed at the Kansas Summit on Agricultural Growth, which was held in August, to help direct KDA’s vision in serving the farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses of Kansas. Employers and state agencies need to work together to find or develop programs so that businesses may implement successful on-the-job training. By working with secondary schools and postsecondary educational institutions, the agriculture industry can develop beneficial partnerships that will help teach the skills and content needed by employers and will help the industry gain access to trained future employees.
To view the final report from the survey, go to agriculture.ks.gov/workforce. For more information, please contact Russell Plaschka, Director of KDA Ag Marketing Division, at 785-564-7466 or [email protected].
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Agriculture Workforce Survey Results Complete.pdf
Dale Wiley: A Handyman
Dale Wiley loved to tinker.
“He was handy and clever,” said his wife of 60 years said. “And he was pretty talented.”
For over 23 years, Dale served on the Fort Scott Fire Department as a firefighter. But in his spare time, he began repairing sewing machines. Marie Wiley, his wife is a talented seamstress, who worked at Country Cupboard for several decades.
Before working at Country Cupboard, Marie worked for Helen Carson, owner of Helen’s Fabric, and Helen asked Dale to repair sewing machines.
“He went to Bernina School in K.C. and also to training in Las Vegas for training,” Marie said. At first he repaired only Bernina’s, but began to tinker with other brands.
“Sometimes he would spend a couple of hours and sometimes a couple of weeks on a machine,” she said. “Sometimes he had to make machine parts. It had to be done right or he wasn’t going to do it.”
When Dale died on August 23, 2022, there remained 18 sewing machines in his shop that people had given him and he took on to repair.
“It was just a hobby for him to tinker around with,” she said.
Besides Bernina machines in the Wiley garage there are Singer, including two antiques, Brother, J.C. Penney, Montgomery Wards, Sears Kenmore, and Husquana Brands, along with two Singers for leather work and two sergers. A serger trims the seam and encloses the seam allowance or edge of the fabric, inside a thread casing, all in one step, according to thesprucecrafts.com.
“He repaired no computerized sewing machines, just the heavier old ones with no nylon gears,” Marie said.
Marie also has eight sewing machines in her sewing room in the house and continues to create cloth heirlooms for her family.
As with her husband, small appliance repair options are dying.
“Small appliance repair is a dying art,” Marie said. “Everything is made to be thrown away when it doesn’t work.”
For more information about the machines, contact Marie at 620.215.2014.