The Western North Carolina Career Consortium will bring together college students and more than 75 perspective employers at its fifth annual Job Fair March 28 at the Renaissance Asheville Hotel.

Members of the consortium, a coalition of four-year colleges from western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, are UNC-Asheville, Warren Wilson, Montreat Maryville, Mars Hill, Lees-McRae, Carson-Newman and Brevard colleges. The Job Fair represents the schools' commitment to enhancing opportunities for their students.

The event provides the opportunity for students to distribute their resumes, interview with employers from across the state, and explore potential careers. Among the industries participating will be communications, financial services, health care, government, information systems, law enforcement, manufacturing, social services, recreation and retail. In addition, nearly a dozen graduate schools will be present to offer information about post-graduate education. The Job Fair is free and open to the public from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

New to the Job Fair this year is the Education Tea, is an informal networking event for teacher candidates and school systems. The Education Tea will be held from 3-5 p.m.

"The Job Fair is a great way for graduating students and alumni to meet with employers and explore a range of career opportunities," said Kerri Day Keller, UNCA Career Center director. "It's also a way to introduce our continuing students to potential internships and future jobs."

For more information, call UNCA's Career Center at 828/251-6515 or point your Web browser to www.unca.edu. Click on: WNC Job Fair.