MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. -- 

Thousands of people turned out for a job fair in Marshall County showcasing careers available in the oil and natural gas industries in the Ohio Valley.

The Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia encouraged area job seekers to explore opportunities at the job fair in Alan Mollohan Training Center on Jefferson Avenue in Moundsville.

Companies with openings were on hand to talk to potential applicants in hopes of finding workers as soon as possible.

"There are hundreds of jobs out there today. Anyone who has a CDL driver's license can get a job in the oil industry today," said Dennis Xander of the Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia.

Some people who were looking for work are unemployed, but others were looking for a new job.

"I'm looking for a career change," said Mark Billman, of Woodsfield. "I'm at Ormet, but this Utica Marcellus is really going to boom, so I'm getting an early start on it."

With the gas industry expected to remain in the Valley for a while, state officials said they want companies here to hire local.

W.Va. Sen. Jack Yost, a Democrat from Brooke County, said, "This may be our last natural resource in West Virginia and we need to capitalize on this program."

Delegate Scott Varner, a Democrat from Marshall County, said, "I think that we have a lot of people that are out of work and I think that there are several that want to look at what other opportunities are out there."

But, officials with the oil and gas association said the opportunities are waiting -- they just need workers.

"There is no doubt about it that we want to hire as many local people that we possibly can. Our biggest problem is finding people," Xander said.

More than 40 employees were on hand seeking people to hire. There were also some local college representatives there to help people inside fill out resumes to make their submissions easier.