POPLARVILLE — About 900 to 1,000 students took advantage of Pearl River Community College’s 12th annual “career fair” on Wednesday in the Technology Center to make contact with businesses looking for prospective employees who are near graduation from one of the 24 technical career courses offered at the college.

Dr. Ann Moore, head of PRCC’s counseling, advisement and placement center, which hosts the annual fair, said that many graduates will actually make contacts at the fair that will lead to well-paying jobs after graduation.

She said that 62 companies took part in the fair on Wednesday, down because of the economy from a high one year of 93. “Even though the economy is bad right now,” said Moore, “a graduate who has good grades, good work habits and wants to work can still find a job.”

She said the college still has a high percentage rate of graduates landing good jobs, despite the downturn in the economy.

“We have 62 vendors from all over the Southeastern U.S. here today, and it includes hospitals and various forms of industry. We have 24 career programs on this campus, and we have students that are graduating in welding, machine shop, air-conditioning, allied health programs, nursing, drafting, business programs, and many more,” Moore said.

“So these young people will be graduating, and we have this huge fair to help them make contact with someone who might be looking for just what they have,” she said.

“We have a smaller fair on the Hattiesburg campus that is primarily for the allied health program,” she said. “Actually, we moved this one into March this year so we would not conflict with another highly attended fair at USM.”

PRCC has been widely known for its career courses, especially its nursing program, considered one of the best programs in the South and highly competitive. Competition to get into the program is challenging. One nurse here reportedly is making more than $100,000 a year after graduating and working as what is called in the profession a “traveling nurse.”

Truck drivers who come out of the Pearl River trucking school headed by Daniel Smith can make upwards of $60,000 annually, if they get with a good company and work hard, school officials said.

“There are good, well-paying jobs still out there despite the recession, but you have to prepare and train yourself to compete for them,” said Moore. “And PRCC does everything it can to prepare you for landing that job, including fairs like this one.

“If you come here and work hard, if you have good grades, if you have a good attendance record, if you have a good interview, then you will most likely get hired,” she said. “We place a high percentage.”

PRCC officials have reported a large jump in enrollment this year, saying they believe it was caused by workers displaced by the recession returning to school searching for a better career path.

Pearl River has carpentry trade schools, utility linemen training, electronics, instrumentation, automotive repair and, as Moore said, 24 career paths. “There is really no excuse, I believe, for someone not being able to find a viable way to make a living, even during these tough times; the opportunity is all right here at Pearl River. That’s what we are here for, to help you find a productive career to support your family and yourself,” said Moore, in an interview with the Item in a crowded hallway jammed with hundreds of students talking to recruiters.

For instance, on hand was Ralph Lindfors, vice president and general manager for South Coast Electric Systems, LLC, of Pearlington. Lindfors says they get a lot of employees from Pearl River. “Not all of them stay with us. They move on, but we have gotten some great employees from here who have helped us very much and some have actually moved on up in the company,” said Lindfors during a break from talking with students who plan to graduate in May.

South Coast has a manufacturing plant in Port Bienville in Pearlington in Hancock County. The company touts itself as “one source for complete marine power distribution systems,” said Lindfors.

Lindfors said that he was talking to students that plan to graduate in electronics and instrumentation. “They have courses up here that give students the basic skills they need so we can then train them to do specifically what we do,” said Lindfors.

“We build electrical equipment primarily for marine vessels, off-shore supply vessels. We build control systems for U.S. Coast Guard patrol boats, also for foreign companies, also generator control and switchboards for casinos,” Lindfors said.

“We are a large company overall, with over $100 million in sales worldwide. If you get with us, the sky is the limit,” he said.

South Coast is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Electric Technologies, Inc., which has been a provider of electrical products for 60 years. It is headquartered in Houston and has global sales. Currently, the company has interests in two joint ventures in Singapore and Xian, China.

The company is traded on NASDAQ with the symbol of AETI.

“As I said, if you get with us, you will have a great career. And it can start right here at Pearl River,” said Lindfors, who said he makes the fair every year.