Bayh, Pence job fairs under way in Ind.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Hundreds of jobs are up for grabs at a couple of job fairs Tuesday.

Universities, financial institutions and even branches of the military showed up for Senator Evan Bayh's 7th Annual Job Fair at IUPUI. The fair is an opportunity for job seekers to connect with local businesses.

"It's allowing me to visit the venues that I'm interested in and pass out my resume," said Jacque Falcon of Indianapolis.

"It brings a lot of people that usually would not get in the door with a lot of these companies, they look at a piece of paper and they just throw it away," said Enrique Flores of Indianapolis.

Sixty local companies signed up for the job fair. Senator Bayh said more than a 1,000 people will walk out with a job.

"Even during this difficult economy we have 1200 job opportunities available right here," explained Sen. Bayh.

Less than a week after the U.S. Energy Department awarded Indianapolis based EnerDel a $118.5 million grant to produce lithium ion batteries, the company attended the fair looking for workers.

"We want to hire talented people starting from now. We have several programs that are getting ready to go into manufacturing by the end of the year and the first half of next year," said Ulrik Grape, CEO of EnerDel.

Enrique Flores has a job; he's using the job fair to get ahead.

"I just need a better job. I have a law degree right now. I took the bar and I'm just waiting for my license, so I'm looking for any opportunities out here," Flores said.

EnerDel said they expect to hire some 300 workers over the next three years.

Some of the positions include engineers with competitive salaries and workers making up to $12.50 an hour.

The job fair also benefited entrepreneurs. Small business owners talked with experts who helped them seek capital to grow.
Sen. Bayh’s job fair runs from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. in Room 450 at the Campus Center of IUPUI.

Congressman Mike Pence is holding his 6th annual job fair Tuesday in Muncie. It will take place at Ball State's Worthen Arena. It runs from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.