Job candidates connect with hospitality companies at East End fair

Five weeks of training for people interested in hospitality, leisure and tourism jobs culminated Saturday with a job fair in Hampton Bays as part of efforts to spark growth within the East End’s hospitality and leisure sector.

Job fair recruiters from more than 30 companies sought employees for managerial roles, and positions as chefs, bartenders, dishwashers and more.

Roughly 50 people among those attending the fair at Hampton Bays High School had trained for five weeks at the fully funded Suffolk’s East End Hospitality & Tourism Academy, also held at the high school.

Emilia Aparicio, 55, of Hampton Bays, was one of them. The wife and mother of two was hoping to find a cleaning job.

“I feel like I climbed several levels higher,” Aparicio said of the academy as she prepared to speak with recruiters Saturday. “For me, it was very productive and I learned a lot."

The academy, a new initiative, was created through collaboration with the Suffolk County Department of Labor, Licensing, & Consumer Affairs, Hampton Bays High School, and the Canoe Place Inn & Cottages.

It focused on training attendees in aspects of hospitality, tourism and leisure sectors such as point-of-sale knowledge, teamwork, vendor management and overall presentation skills.

Aparicio told Newsday she found out about the academy while learning English at BOCES classes. She said she learned how to be better prepared in getting employment within the hospitality industry.

"I learned that it is more than just a job, it’s a service. It’s about making people feel good, no matter where you are,” she said.

Ron Kelly, 65, of Southampton, a longtime East End resident and academy attendee, said such job fairs and training opportunities were of “the utmost importance” in keeping the local economy going.

“People have to realize there are decent jobs here and [the job fair] is a good way for people to know that [opportunities] are right here in our community,” Kelly said. “It’s very important for people to see this, especially young people and so forth.”

Suffolk’s leisure and hospitality sector suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic, losing over 60,000 jobs between February and April 2020, according to the 2021 Suffolk County Local Workforce Plan. The sector has shown signs of gradual recovery, regaining just over 40,000, or 62.9%, of initial jobs lost between April 2020 and March 2021.

Justine Oudeans, 50, of East Quogue, works various jobs including running garden programs at a local school and at a Southampton flower shop. Seeking a new career path, Oudeans — who attended the academy and seeks a job in either recruiting or guest services — said she is attracted to hospitality because she considers herself a people person.

“This [job fair] should be done probably in every aspect, not just in hospitality,” Oudeans said. “With any companies out there, we should be having job fairs at least three to four times before the start of the summer season, because we have such a strong summer season out here.”