WBRZ - Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE- Hundreds of residents from north Baton Rouge lined up at Capital Area Technical College today, looking for a chance at work.

Anthony Dent told News 2, "I came down here trying to see what options I got."

The North Baton Rouge Industrial Initiative is an opportunity to provide people like Dent access to recruiters they may have never crossed paths with otherwise.

Paul Strafford, a Chemical Plant Manager for ExxonMobil said, "We need qualified people coming in and working in our facility, and we see this as an opportunity to develop local residents, north Baton Rouge people."

North Baton Rouge has become notorious for crime, with police calling it one of the deadliest areas in the city. According to BRPD, 40 percent of Baton Rouge's homicides happen there.

In June, the city announced the 70805 ZIP code is now the target of a crime-fighting initiative called BRAVE, which hopes to stop crime before it happens through community interaction.

The violence, poverty and drugs is what single mom Angela Spruell said she's trying to keep her children from. That's why she came to today's job fair.

"I'm looking for a change in my life to something better," she said. "It shows there's still hope and they're not giving up on us regardless of what area you're in."

The job fair is a partnership between Capital Area Technical, College, Baton Rouge Community College and several local employers. For more information on the North Baton Rouge Industrial Training Initiative, contact Tammy Brown at 225-359-9207 or go to the CATC website.