Champaign County Launches New Online Job Board

Marcia Bailey.
Champaign Economic Partnership.

Champaign County employers are using a new job posting website created exclusively for advertising Champaign County job openings. The site, Community JobConnect, is available on the home page of the Champaign Economic Partnership website (cepohio.com) and available directly at communityjobconnect.com.

The job site, free to employers and job seekers, was created in partnership by the CEP, the Champaign County Manufacturers Human Resources Council, local schools and others.

“Community JobConnect makes the connection between economic and workforce development,” CEP Director Marcia Bailey said. “Businesses choose to establish or expand in communities that have the available workforce to help them succeed and grow. Community JobConnect is designed to help Champaign County local businesses find the workforce they need.”

Community JobConnect also will help inform local schools and students about the range of local career opportunities – to help prepare students for their future.

Besides posting full- and part-time job openings, employers may use Community JobConnect to post internships, summer jobs and job shadowing opportunities to help students prepare for the workforce – and to help more young people stay in Champaign County after graduation.

Community JobConnect is for all types of employers and jobs, but the site resulted in answer to concerns expressed by human resources managers and executives of Champaign County manufacturing companies.

“One of the chief concerns shared is how to attract and retain local talent for manufacturing jobs, which are often difficult to fill,” explained Jill O’Neal, human resources manager at WEIDMANN Electrical Technology, Inc. in Urbana, and a member of the CEP Board of Trustees.

O’Neal enlisted Ashlie Starkey, human resources information systems (HRIS) and compliance manager at WEIDMANN, to develop Community JobConnect. Starkey and O’Neal donated their time to create the site.

Jobs posted on Community JobConnect also appear on the Community JobConnect Facebook page and the site’s Twitter account, @CommunityJobCon.

A marketing program is being launched to promote Community JobConnect to employers, schools, jobseekers and the greater community.