BBCC Job & Career Fair returns Thursday
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 months, 4 weeks AGO
A job seeker chats with Okanagan Specialty Fruits recruiter Nataliya Yushchuk at last year’s BBCC Job Fair. The event, which returns Thursday, will feature more than 60 employers and agencies looking for workers.
FILE PHOTO
About 700 job seekers came to last year’s BBCC Job & Career Fair. This year’s fair is Thursday.
Job seekers at the Big Bend Community College Job & Career Fair are encouraged to dress professionally and bring lots of copies of their resume.
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | April 20, 2026 3:20 AM
MOSES LAKE — There are jobs out there, and people who are looking for jobs, and the two will come together Thursday at Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake.
“We’re incredibly excited to welcome more than 60 exhibitors to campus for the 33rd annual Job & Career Fair,” Alissa Scriven, Career Pathways Coordinator at Big Bend Community College, wrote in an announcement. “Each year, this event continues to grow, and it reflects the strong partnerships we have with local employers and organizations that are committed to strengthening our workforce. It’s a unique opportunity for students and community members to have real conversations with employers and explore what’s possible right here in our region.”
The Job Fair is hosted by BBCC, and organized in conjunction with Washington State Employment Security, OIC of Washington, the Department of Services for the Blind, Washington State Department of Social and Health Services/DVR, SkillSource and Job Corps, all agencies that help connect people with jobs. Those entities will have booths, but they’ll be joined by scores of employers from the private sector looking to expand their teams.
Last year about 700 people came to the job fair looking for employment, according to Columbia Basin Herald archives. Some were fresh out of school, some were new to the area and looking for work, and some just wanted to find something better.
“We’re getting people who are fresh out of college, people from the Job Corps, people who are still in college, people who are back in the job market after a while,” Sebastian Moraga, representing the Washington State Department of Transportation, told the Columbia Basin Herald at last year’s fair.
Job seekers should dress professionally and bring copies of their resumes, according to the announcement. An open mind is also a good idea, because job seekers often find opportunities they hadn’t thought of before.
“One of the biggest complaints is that sometimes people will say ‘They might not have a job here for my specialty, or in my field,’” said James Beck, a career and training manager with SkillSource, at the 2025 job fair. “That is going to be one of those things that rises and falls. Some fields are going to be hiring at certain times and others won’t.”
In addition to the main fair, there will be two workshops sponsored by Microsoft to help job seekers strengthen their professional readiness, according to BBCC’s website. A question-and-answer session on careers in the data center industry is scheduled from 11 to 11:45 a.m., followed by a workshop on job readiness and workforce participation from 12:15 to 1 p.m.
“With the continued demand for skilled workers across Grant County, events like this are more important than ever,” Scriven wrote. “We want attendees to leave feeling informed, confident, and connected. Having the DSHS mobile office bus on site allows us to meet people where they are by helping with cash, medical, and food benefits. It truly turns the Job & Career Fair into a one-stop resource for anyone looking to take their next step.”
BBCC Job & Career Fair
10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 23
Big Bend Community College ATEC Building
7611 Bolling St. NE, Moses Lake
Exhibitors
(List current as of April 17)
City/County/Government/ Military/State
BBCC Human Resources Department
Family Services of Grant County
Grant County Juvenile Youth Services
Grant County Public Works
Grant County PUD
Grant County Sheriff’s Office
Grant County Veterans Services
Grant Transit Authority
MACC 911 Dispatch
Mattawa Police Department
Moses Lake Police Department
Moses Lake School District Human Resources Department
People For People
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Spokane Police Department
US Navy
Washington Army National Guard
Washington State Department of Agriculture
Washington State Department of Children, Youth, & Families
Education/Training
BBCC Aviation Maintenance Technology Program
BBCC Agricultural Program
BBCC Applied Bachelor Degrees in Applied Management & Behavioral Health
BBCC Automotive Program
BBCC Business Information Management/Business/Accounting Programs
BBCC Computer Science Program
BBCC Early Childhood Education Program
BBCC Manufacturing & Process Technology Program
BBCC Outreach Department
BBCC Nursing Program
BBCC Welding Program
Central Washington University
Charter College
Eastern Washington University
Institute of Beauty Professionals
Moses Lake School District Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program
Washington State University
Washington State University College of Nursing – Yakima
Healthcare/Wellness/Medical
All Ways Caring
Columbia Basin Health Association
Confluence Health
Coulee Medical Center
Fresenius Medical Care
Genesis Healthcare
Life Flight Network
LifeLine Ambulance
Molina Healthcare
Moses Lake Community Health Center
Othello Community Hospital
Samaritan Healthcare
About 700 job seekers came to last year’s BBCC Job & Career Fair. This year’s fair is Thursday.
Job seekers at the Big Bend Community College Job & Career Fair are encouraged to dress professionally and bring lots of copies of their resume.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Endless battle
Noxious Weed Control Board works to keep invasive plants under control
MOSES LAKE — Some of the nastiest plants in Grant County were the topic of a class led by Jay Johnson, a consultant with the Grant County Noxious Weed Control Board, Tuesday. The Noxious Weed Control Board, as its name would suggest, is tasked with keeping weeds under control in Grant County. That’s not a small job; the board’s website lists 129 species of noxious weeds that are found around Grant County. A noxious weed is defined as an invasive, non-native plant that threatens agricultural crops, local ecosystems or fish and wildlife habitat, according to the Noxious Weed Control Board. Washington state law requires that these weeds be identified and their spread kept to a minimum, if not completely eradicated. “We’re one of those agencies a lot of people don’t really understand,” Johnson said. “We’re a county office and … our funding is tax-based assessment. When you get your tax bill and you look down at all the expenses that you pay for, there we are.”
BASIN EVENTS: Oct. 16-24
COLUMBIA BASIN — Whether you feel like shopping, crafting, learning or seeing a show, there’s something happening for you this week in the Basin. Oct. 16 ‘My Family (Mi Familia)’ screening Spanning three generations, “My Family (Mi Familia)” is a heartfelt drama that follows the Sánchez family as they build their lives in East Los Angeles. Through love, hardship, triumph, and sacrifice, the film explores the immigrant experience, the strength of family bonds, and the traditions that connect one generation to the next. Lowrider show and taco truck before the screening. Sponsored by Columbia Basin Allied Arts, EDUBS C/S and the Moses Lake Creative District. $12 per person. Doors open at 6 p.m., film begins at 7 p.m. at the Moses Lake Civic Center Auditorium, 401 S. Balsam St. Tickets and info: www.cba-arts.org.
Moses Lake author encourages women to look beyond church culture norms
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