ABERDEEN, S.D. (Press Release) – Thanks to community partnerships, this month’s job fair at Northern State University will be bigger and better than ever.

NSU Career Services is partnering with the South Dakota Department of Labor and Dakota Media Group, parent company of the American News, to host the Aberdeen Area and NSU Employment Expo and Job Fair. The event will take place 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, in the NSU Barnett Center and is open to Northern students as well as community members.

NSU Career Services Director Britt Lorenz said she approached the Department of Labor last year about combining efforts into one, larger fair held on campus as a convenience to Northern students.

“The Department of Labor has always been a great partner for our office to work with,” Lorenz said.

The two organizations then collaborated with the American News, which is offering in-kind marketing for the job fair.

“It really became this partnership between our three entities,” she said.

The collaboration will allow for a broader marketing reach and more employers from around the region, as well as from different industries. For instance, Lorenz said this year’s fair is drawing in more health-care providers, which NSU has not seen at past fairs.

The combined fair also offers a larger range of employment types, including professional, full-time careers; part-time jobs; seasonal opportunities; temporary positions; and internships.

“The more the merrier because we’re exposing our students to different industries and to companies that maybe they hadn’t considered,” Lorenz said.

For example, while Avera and Sanford have health-care positions available, both entities also have jobs in other areas – including finance, marketing and human resources.

“You can do that in our local community and maybe students weren’t aware of that,” she said. “I think that’s a win for our students.”

She hopes the fair will also be a benefit to the local workforce and the region as well.

“Anytime we can come together and talk about the amazing opportunities that are available is a win,” she said. “I think that’s certainly a benefit to our community.”

Lorenz stressed that the job fair is open to anyone – members of the public as well as all area students, including students from Presentation College.

“I hope community members see this as a good partnership as well,” she said. “This really is a community event.”

The Aberdeen Area and NSU Employment Expo and Job Fair is also supported by the Aberdeen Area Human Resources Association, Dakota Broadcasting, Hub City Radio, Aberdeen Area Chamber of Commerce and Aberdeen Development Corp. Businesses wishing to participate may register online, or by contacting NSU Career Services at 605-626-3007 or careerservices@northern.edu.