Participants in a Diversity Job Fair and Business Symposium on June 26 will have an opportunity to get expert advice.

The program at the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza in Merrillville will focus on providing specific tools for career opportunities, development and enhancement. It is sponsored by The Times and the Hispanic Organization Promoting Excellence in partnership with the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement and numerous other area businesses and organizations.

Scheduled public breakout sessions, which will be conducted in the Beethoven Room, include:

-- Transportation/distribution/logistics, 9:45 to 10:30 a.m.

-- Health care, 10:45 to 11:30 a.m.

-- Advanced manufacturing panel discussion, 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

-- Retail, 1:15 to 2 p.m.

-- Education/career development, 2:15 to 3 p.m.

-- Information technology, 3:15 to 4 p.m.

Ivy Tech Community College Northwest will moderate and coordinate the seminars for job-seekers, according to Bill Thon, the school's executive director of work force and economic development. Each session will incorporate a 30- to 35-minute presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint, along with a 10-minute question-and-answer session. Topics for the sessions include:

-- Opportunities for available jobs, growth in employment, wage structure and current number of open positions.

-- Workplace skills necessary to meet the minimum applicant qualifications for the respective business and industry.

-- Advancement potential, development needs and the view of future employment trends.

The Job Fair, which is open to the public and will offer 50 exhibits of local companies that are committed to a diversified work force, will be from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and from 1 to 4 p.m.

The Business Symposium, which will include invited executives and leaders, will start at 11:30 a.m.

The Educational Breakout Seminars will provide an outstanding opportunity for job-seekers of all levels to gain a deeper understanding of future career potential in six growth categories identified as key to Northwest Indiana's regional economic development, said Chris Loretto, Times director of product development.

"The job-seekers will learn from local experts, who will tie in the critical components of education and training needed to enter or advance your career in one of these categories. With the outstanding lineup of presenters and having it free to attend, we expect each session to be extremely well-attended," Loretto said.

Symposium sponsors, in addition to those mentioned above, include U.S. Steel, Strack & Van Til, Ivy Tech, Horseshoe Casino, BP, the city of Crown Point, Ameristar Casino, Major Opportunities and WorkOne.