There were more than 170 jobs advertised in The Daily Iberian last week. Opportunities are available for those that are looking for work.

For Teche Area residents who are looking for a new job, a better job or are facing unemployment or layoffs, local publications and Web sites like the Industrial Development Foundation’s site at 

jobsinsouthlouisiana.com still offer an abundance of local leads.

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IDF President and CEO Mike Tarantino said the site is a useful resource for the area’s workforce and is also a good place to connect with workforce training opportunities.

“Right now locally we have a mixed bag of opportunities,” he said. “The health care sector is still hiring and certain sections of the oil and gas sector are still hiring, along with many others. It’s just a matter of getting out there and finding your niche.”

Roy Pontiff, Port of Iberia executive director, said there are plenty of opportunities at port businesses.

“Some of our companies have big projects under way,” he said. “A lot of them are still in need of good labor.”

Mandy Armentor, extension agent for the LSU Ag Center, said networking is important for job seekers.

“Don’t burn any bridges,” she said.

“A current or former supervisor could be a new supervisor in a different venue.”

She also said the period between jobs might be a good time to “reassess your career options and re-tool yourself.”

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” she said.

The Louisiana Technical College Teche Area campus will be holding Trades at Teche Career Day from 9 a.m. to noon April 8. There will be information available on courses of study available at the school located on Ember Drive in New Iberia, as well as representation from local companies looking to hire.

There is also an upcoming job fair sponsored by the Louisiana Workforce Commission and Iberia Business and Career Solutions Center in New Iberia.

It will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cyr-Gates Community Center at the end of April.

In addition, older job seekers in the Teche Area may benefit from the latest round of stimulus money that will fund additional positions in the Senior Community Service Em-ployment Program offered through the Experience Works program.

The program is expected to receive $120 million in additional funding in the coming months.

Teche Area residents 55 and older can call (866) 860-8175 to find out if they qualify for the program.