BUTLER TWP— To match people interested in health care careers with employers and educators, Butler County Community College opened its health fair to the public this year.

In the past, the college had a health career fair for its nursing students, but when it partnered with the Northwest Area Health Education Center, it expanded to high school students and the community.

One of the goals of the organization, which covers 15 counties from Erie to Butler and out to Potter, is to get secondary students to consider health careers, said Jane Mullinax, the center's health career educator.

Students who are from the area and are educated here often will become employees in the area, said Mullinax.

She also has programs for students as young as kindergarten.

Students from Mars High School as well as both morning and afternoon sessions of Butler Area Vocational-Technical School attended the fair on Tuesday.

So did Brooke Forringer of Kittanning, who recently moved to the area and is looking for a job in massage therapy. She said she found three employers looking for someone in her field and she was happy to drop off her resume.

Others of the about 300 expected were nursing students at BC3.

Michelle McFadden of Venango Township was an licensed practical nurse for about 12 years before she decided to go to school and become a registered nurse.

She plans to graduate in May, so she came to the fair to look for schools where she could earn her master's degree.

But, she found plenty of companies ready to employ her now.

"There's a lot of opportunities," McFadden said, and she'll have to consider them.

Lois Trimbur of career services at BC3 said the college has its regular career fair in March, but because health careers are in such demand most soon-to-be graduates have jobs in January or February.

"Within an hour, you can be talking to Allegheny General Hospital, UPMC and Children's,"Trimbur said.

Mullinax called the health field the top-employing industry, and said with 18 months or two years of education, people can have a well-paying career with many options.