A career fair will be held for the first group of workers who are losing their jobs in early December at the Dragon Cement plant in Thomaston, as the facility prepares to close down at the end of next year.
Roberto Polit, a spokesperson for Giant Cement, Dragon’s parent company, said about 20 of the facility’s 65 employees will lose their jobs Dec. 2.
Two days later, on the morning of Dec. 4, the state Department of Labor’s Rockland branch will hold a career fair at the Thomaston municipal building in partnership with the town, the Knox County government and the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce. Although the fair is pegged to the layoff at Dragon Cement, it is open to any job-seekers.
Giant Cement announced the closure of the Thomaston plant in September. The plant is slowly winding down operations until January of 2025, when it will shut its doors. Giant cited high operating and logistics costs as the reason for the closure.
David Grima, an employment and training specialist at the Maine Department of Labor, said there has been more interest from employers in this career fair than there would have been in years past as a result of ongoing labor shortages.
The fair, held from 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 4, will host 18 employers including Bath Iron Works, MaineHealth, the city of Rockland, the Maine Department of Corrections, Knox Machine and International Flavors and Fragrances. The majority will be from Knox County.
“In the past, we’ve had to invite various employers, but these days employers are very eager to attend job fairs,” Grima said. “In many cases, employers are having a tough time keeping up staff or hiring enough staff for their business needs.”
Such career fairs happen every few days throughout the state, and Grima said they’re “regular and routine” following large layoffs.
“We put on all kinds of things to support workers when we know they’re losing their jobs,” Grima said. He added that job-seekers attending the fair should bring a resume and dress appropriately for an interview.
