BUTLER TWP — The most recent unemployment rate in Butler County remained the lowest in Western Pennsylvania.

Sitting firm at 5.2 percent for the first two months of 2014, the rate also is the lowest it has been in five years.

But while the economy here is strong, many residents still need work.

About 300 people took advantage of a good networking opportunity Wednesday to search for a job at the Pennsylvania CareerLink Spring Job and Career Fair at the Days Inn.

“This is a good initial step for both job seekers and employers,” said John Pileggi, the program supervisor for CareerLink in Butler.

More than 50 employers were at the fair.

Pileggi said there is still a strong demand for employment opportunities, despite the promising statistics in the county.

“We still see quite a bit of foot traffic of individuals seeking employment,” he said.

One of the most popular businesses at the fair was the natural gas industry.

“Right now it is absolutely one of the fastest growing industries in the county,” said Thomas McLaughlin, a coordinator with O-Tex Pumping of Fenelton.

O-Tex specializes in cementing well casings into place at gas drilling sites.

McLaughlin said his company was attending with hopes to connect with Class-A commercial truck drivers.

“We’ve had a very good response,” he said. “Typically we do pretty good at job fairs. They’re probably our number one area for finding new employees.”

Caleb Mitchell of West Sunbury spoke with the O-Tex representatives about openings. Mitchell said he is looking to begin working in the industry.

“I hear it’s getting big around here,” he said. “And I’m hoping for a steady job.”

Mitchell said he is enrolled in industrial and manufacturing courses at Butler County Community College.

“I’m expecting to finish the courses in June,” he said, adding he’s been in the Transition Adjustment Assistance Community College Career Training program for about six weeks.

Karen Zapp, the project manager for the program, said the career fair is a great opportunity to expose people to the program.

“My goal today is to encourage displaced workers to learn a few new skills to help start a new career,” she said.

The program is funded through federal grants and can be free for unemployed workers between jobs.

The manufacturing and natural gas industries is a major part of the curriculum.

“The reason BC3 chose those industries is because of the growth they have in Western Pennsylvania,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of luck with displaced workers.”

Penn United Technologies was offering free manufacturing classes to interested participants, in addition to several employment opportunities.

“We offer a basic manufacturing skill training course to give the students entry level skills to do different things,” said Scott Covert, the training coordinator with the program. “It gives them a core skill set.”

Marva Hazlett of Sarver registered for the course after speaking with Covert.

“I would have signed up years ago had I known about it,” she said.

Hazlett said she has a background in production and manufacturing work and hopes to find a job in the field.

“This is a good opportunity to see what options are out there,” she said of the fair. “It’s been very informative.”

While natural gas and manufacturing jobs were a big focus of conversation at the fair, a variety of other career fields also were on display.

Heath care, as always, drew significant interest.

Dena Baptiste, director of personal services for Quality Life Services, said the fair connects employers with numerous applicants.

“It’s my favorite job fair,” she said. “We’ve hired from here before.”

Baptiste said her agency was in need of several positions, including registered nurses.

Baptiste said the fair offers all employers a chance to speak with prospective workers in person.

“It’s personal,” she said. “I like the idea of being able to see what people are like face-to-face.”

Cece Foster, executive director of the Community Health Clinic, said the fair was an excellent opportunity for the heath care industry.

Foster said the mission for her agency, which provides health care to residents with no benefits, was to speak to people in between jobs about health care coverage.

While the health care marketplace for individuals is closed for the year, people with life changing events, such as unemployment, are still eligible for enrollment.

Foster said she also wanted to speak with unemployed workers about possible volunteer opportunities with her clinic.

“If you are in between jobs, you don’t want a gap on your resume,” she said. “The Community Health Clinic offers a variety of wonderful volunteer opportunities for people.”

While most employers used the fair to search for potential employees and to set up interviews, Leeann Paule, a recruiter with MPW Industrial Services of Dravosburg, actually made some job offers.

“We conducted a couple interviews at an empty table, and I’ve made two job offers,” she said.

Paule was hiring industrial high-pressure cleaners to work at AK Steel in Butler.

She said while the company attends many job fairs, it doesn’t often hire on the spot.

“It’s not something we do all the time,” she said. “It’s a little out of the ordinary today.”