Official 2026 Second Chance Open House: Job & Resource Fair flyer from the Crawford County Adult Education Center, published through the Van Buren Chamber of Commerce.
Hey Fort Smith — and especially Van Buren — here's one worth getting out early because it's happening today, and it's exactly the kind of local opportunity people usually hear about after it's already over.
The Crawford County Adult Education Center is holding its Second Chance Open House: Job & Resource Fair today, Thursday, Sept. 17, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 301 Mount Vista Boulevard in Van Buren.
The official flyer says attendees will be able to meet employers face-to-face, explore job opportunities and training, connect with community resources and talk directly with program representatives.
Lunch will also be provided.
This isn't just somebody setting up a folding table with a stack of brochures and calling it a job fair.
The event is built around five pretty practical things:
Connect with employers and community partners.
Explore job opportunities, training and resources.
Engage face-to-face with employers and program representatives.
Support through community resources that can help somebody move forward.
And then, yes, eat lunch while you're there.
The “Second Chance” part is important.
Crawford County Adult Education has hosted versions of this event before.
Historically, its Second Chance fairs have specifically helped people who had involvement with the justice system or other barriers that can make a normal job search harder.
An earlier Arkansas Division of Workforce Services notice for the same program described the fair as geared toward people who had been involved with the justice system and needed employment or additional resources.
The 2026 flyer is worded more broadly — “A Fresh Start. New Opportunities.”
So don't assume you need a criminal record or some specific background just to walk through the door today.
If you're unemployed, underemployed, trying to restart after a rough stretch, looking for training or just keep hitting a wall every time you apply online, this may be more productive than submitting another twenty applications and hoping an algorithm likes your résumé.
The face-to-face part is probably the biggest reason to go.
Hiring has turned into a pretty frustrating process for a lot of people.
Upload your résumé.
Fill out the exact same information again.
Answer a pile of automated questions.
Then get an email saying somebody else was selected.
That system can be especially rough on anybody whose background doesn't fit neatly into a hiring filter.
Today's fair gives people a chance to actually talk to employers and program representatives in person.
That doesn't guarantee somebody a job.
But it gives them a chance to explain who they are now instead of being reduced to whatever appears first on an application.
And if the immediate answer isn't employment, the event also includes training and community resources.
Sometimes the problem isn't simply, “Nobody will hire me.”
Sometimes it's:
“I need my GED.”
“I need another certification.”
“I need some basic computer skills.”
“I don't know what kind of job I'm actually qualified for.”
Those are fixable problems when you get connected with the right person.
The host site does more than GED classes too.
The Crawford County Adult Education Center has historically offered programs including GED preparation, English-language classes, citizenship preparation, computer literacy, college preparation, workforce-readiness programs and testing.
So if somebody walks into today's fair and learns they're missing a qualification for the job they want, there may be people there who can help figure out the next step instead of just saying no.
But you've only got a two-hour window.
The event runs:
Thursday, Sept. 17
11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Crawford County Adult Education Center
301 Mount Vista Boulevard
Van Buren, AR 72956
Questions can be directed to the center at 479-471-0019.
If you're actually going because you want work, show up ready.
The event listing doesn't publish a required-document checklist, so don't turn it into something complicated.
If you have a résumé, bring several copies.
Bring your phone.
Know your basic employment history.
And have a simple answer ready when somebody asks what type of work you're looking for.
If your background has made employment difficult, don't spend the whole conversation trying to dance around it.
You're literally standing inside something called a Second Chance Job & Resource Fair.
The whole point is getting past barriers.
Hey Fort Smith — here's the useful version.
If you know somebody who keeps saying nobody will give them a chance, send them this before 11 this morning.
Not tonight.
Not tomorrow.
Today.
Employers and program representatives are supposed to be there.
There are job opportunities, training information and community resources.
You can actually talk to people instead of throwing another application into an online black hole.
And lunch is provided.
11 a.m.–1 p.m. at 301 Mount Vista Boulevard in Van Buren.
For somebody who's been trying to get back on their feet, two hours today could be more productive than another month of saying, “I'll figure something out.”
Community takeaway: The Crawford County Adult Education Center's Second Chance Open House: Job & Resource Fair is happening today, Sept. 17, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 301 Mount Vista Boulevard in Van Buren. Attendees can meet employers and program representatives, explore job and training opportunities, connect with community resources and receive lunch. For questions, call 479-471-0019.
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Sources: Van Buren Chamber of Commerce — official Second Chance Job & Resource Fair listing · Crawford County Adult Education Center — program website
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