With local unemployment at a 30-year high and a reeling economy showing few signs of regaining its legs anytime soon, some 8,100 job-seekers crowded the grounds of Honolulu Community College yesterday to take the first step in securing one of 160 new jobs at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.

An hour before the close of the fair, with the HCC parking lot packed tight, scores of would-be applicants were still making their way to the campus from far-flung parking spaces up and down Dillingham Boulevard.

Organizers said the turnout was roughly twice as large as last year's fair at Sand Island.

The state's largest industrial employer expects to fill 120 apprenticeships and 40 engineering and engineering support positions in January.

Representatives from 18 trades as well as the engineering department were on hand to share information with job seekers. By mid-morning, most had exhausted their supply of brochures and other informational handouts.

"The economy drove a lot more people here this year," said Jose Vargas, a general foreman representing the shipyard's sandblasters and painters. "There is a lack of jobs out there and people getting laid off. This is a great opportunity for people to get their foot in the yard through our apprentice programs."

Apprenticeships are four-year, work-study programs that pay trainees while they earn an associate's degree in applied science from HCC and learn their trade on the job. The positions start at $18.30 or more per hour and reach $27 or more after four years.

Yesterday's fair was for informational purposes only. Prospective applicants were directed to choose three trades and file their applications online. Applicants will need to take an assessment test in May. Interviews with select applicants will take place in June, with hiring notifications to follow in July. New employees will begin work on Jan. 19.

VARIETY OF APPLICANTS

Yesterday's fair attracted prospective workers of all stripes, from soon-to-be high school graduates to experienced professionals who have been laid off to those simply looking for more job security in an insecure time.

Last month, Hawai'i's unemployment rate reached 6.5 percent, its highest level since October 1978. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment more than doubled from the 3.1 percent seasonally adjusted rate a year earlier. The total number of unemployed in Hawai'i stood at 42,250 last month, with 5,232 new initial filings so far this month.

Nemmy Santos, 47, of 'Ewa Beach, was laid off from his job as an architectural designer in January.

Unemployment compensation and his wife's job as a contracts administrator have kept the family afloat, but Santos is eager to get back to work, even if it means changing fields.

"It's hard to find a job in my field, especially with the economy the way it is," Santos said. "Construction is the first to be affected, so I'm here trying to see if there is something else I can do."

Andrew Yunson, 18, of Nanakuli has been working as a contractor at Hickam Air Force Base for the past six months and hopes to snag an apprenticeship in electrical work at the shipyard.

He came to the fair with his girlfriend, Madison Cuttrell, who is an electrical engineering student at the University of Hawai'i, and their 2-month-old son, Kolten.

"I just want to find a good career," Yunson said. "I'm going to study hard and do whatever it takes."

LOOKING FOR SECURITY

Kaua'i resident Cameron Chandler, 20, graduated with a degree in electronics from Heald College six months ago but hasn't been able to find a job in his field.

Chandler came to the fair with sisters Rennie and Kellyn Higa, both of whom are seeking more secure, more fulfilling jobs than the ones they have now.

"It's been hard," Chandler said. "The economy just isn't too good right now."

James Butterworth, 50, moved from Florida to Hawai'i a year ago. He makes ends meet doing private home construction — "It's OK here but on the Mainland it's pretty much at a standstill," he said — but he, too, is looking for more stable employment as a shipwright, a welder or a fabricator.

"I'm looking for more security and more benefits," he said.

For Nocolae Holt, 29, of Hale'iwa, the urgency to find gainful employment grows each day.

Holt worked for a moving company for six years but left to pursue a trade in drywall. But with the slowing of the economy has come a severe paucity in jobs, and Holt said he hasn't been able to find work since November.

Holt's wife, Faith, works as a legal secretary, helping to provide for their two children, Matthew, 5, and Joshua, 4.

But Holt also has $400 per month child support payments to make for a daughter in California, and it's getting to the point where eating in and getting rid of the mobile phone won't be enough to stretch the household budget.

"I'm going to look at all these papers and brochures that I got and go from there," he said. "You tell me what to do, show me how to do 'em and I'll do it. When it comes to work, I'll work."

As he left the HCC campus, Holt stopped to survey the thousands of other job seekers with whom he'll be competing. With just one position for every 50 people on hand yesterday, Holt knows his chances are slim at best.

"Pretty awesome," Holt said, scanning the crowd. "I wonder who'll be the lucky ones."