The first annual Homer Community Job Fair was held on Friday, March 28, at Homer High School. The fair was a joint endeavor of Homer Marine Trades Association, Homer High School, the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, and the Homer Chamber of Commerce. Open mainly to students at local high schools, Homer High and Flex, the last hour of the fair was also open to members of the general public. Paul Story, who helped organize the event through his work as a counselor at Homer High School, estimated on Tuesday that about 300 students attended.

Industry information sessions were concurrently held in the Mariner Theatre, with focus areas on marine trades, health care careers, and restaurants and hospitality.

Organizers said one of the goals of the job fair was to retain local workers and fill seasonal job roles that struggle to find staff due to numerous issues, including the lack of housing available in Homer. Another goal was to provide students with information on local opportunities for careers without student debt.

Tela Bacher, a recruiter from South Peninsula Hospital, called the fair “impressive” and said it was one of the biggest job fair turnouts she’d seen. She said she felt that students got a big picture idea of how you don’t have to only go into one field when setting out on a career after high school.

”A lot of people talked about the characteristics that you need to do well in those positions, and there’s a lot of overlap between them,” Bacher said of the industry information sessions. “So when kids think about ‘What am I going to do in the world?’ Of course, you don’t have to figure it out right now, but seeing the different options and being able to recognize, ‘Oh, these skill sets are consistently really important no matter what you do.’”

Mark Zeiset with the Homer Marine Trades Association said he was excited by the number of kids who attended.

“They engaged and they were interested in what we were doing. They had tons of questions. We weren’t sure what to expect, and I was looking back on my high school days and thought they’d just want to stamp and move on, but no, they were actually very cool to the challenge.”

Story said Friday that the event was a great success.

“I was super impressed with how the students engaged. I thought they presented themselves professionally, really showcased what we call the ‘Mariner Way’ at Homer High School. I think they impressed the representatives who are here, too.”

Employers present on Friday said that they hoped the fair would return in ensuing years to continue on as a resource within the community for connecting local youth with opportunities that empower them to remain in their home community after graduation and contribute in meaningful ways.

Editor’s Note: Homer News attended the job fair as a vendor.

Captains Curtis Jackson and Mako Haggerty of Mako’s Water Taxi talk with a student on Friday, March 28, 2025 in the Homer High School commons. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)

Captains Curtis Jackson and Mako Haggerty of Mako’s Water Taxi talk with a student on Friday, March 28, 2025 in the Homer High School commons. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)