Workforce System Job Fairs are Helping Jobseekers and Employers Start the New Year Right!

 Job fairs, hiring events, and community resource fairs are great opportunities to bring jobseekers together with resources and employers. Let’s take a look at the incredible impact just two such events have made as 2023 drew to a close.

Frederick Hiring Event Market’s Statewide Employment Opportunities Workforce partners helped 200+ jobseekers and 14 employers gain an edge on 2024 when they hosted a hugely successful community job fair/hiring event in Frederick, Maryland in early December. The 200+ jobseekers in attendance at the fair were able to establish valuable employer contacts and access workforce system resources in real time. Most importantly, many jobseekers left the event with job offers in hand or solid employment connections, and employers found the talent their organizations needed to ring in the new year right.   Here are a few impressive fast facts from this fabulous community job fair: Fourteen employers participated, seeking to fill positions in locations throughout the state of Maryland. Ten jobseekers left the event with firm job offers, and many additional participants left with pending offers. Employers in attendance included: the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Navy Reserve, U.S. Army, Shepherd Pratt, Frederick National Lab, Army Community Services, Frederick County Government, Frederick County Public Schools, 7-11 Inc., Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS). While all of the employers were terrific, DJS was the uncontested star of the event. Seven DJS staff attended the event, during which they met individually with 50 jobseekers and conducted formal interviews with 12. DJS even brought a fingerprinting machine along, which made it possible for them to offer seven applicants jobs on the spot. DJS was so pleased with the outcome, they are already planning to come equipped with more staff so they can interview more jobseekers at the workforce system's next job fair. A representative from the Frederick County Small Business Development Center met with 30 participants to discuss their interest in starting new businesses. The Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning's (DWDAL)’s Professional Outplacement and Assistance Center team offered personalized coaching sessions to jobseekers on the federal and private sector application processes, interviewing techniques, and building a professional social media presence. ResumeFix founder Charlie Reagan provided guidance on résumé writing to over 40 participants, and personally reviewed and provided feedback on the résumés of 12 individuals during the event. The Love for Lochlin health services bus offered free flu shots and twelve attendees took them up on it. To help participants maintain their strength, 7-11 was onsite, distributing free pizza, beef sliders, water, and an assortment of individually packaged sweet and savory snacks. Kudos to the dynamic workforce staff who pulled together such an epic event in such a short time. Your efforts touched many lives and are setting the stage for a bright new year for Maryland!

Southern Maryland Hiring Event and Community Fair Reaches Over 700 Jobseekers  The Tri-County Council, the workforce development board serving Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties in southern Maryland, introduced a new twist to their 12th Annual Southern Maryland Hiring Event – a Community Resource Fair! In addition to bringing together a broad range of regional employers and workforce system resources, this year’s event included many new community partners to help jobseekers address employment barriers and access valuable community services. The planning team added a moon bounce, face painting, games, free haircuts, and food to this year’s menu of offerings to fully engage the community and create a family friendly atmosphere. All of the planning and hard work paid off! Hundreds of jobseekers attended the event, along with nearly 70 regional employers. Jobseeker participants could network with employers, receive résumé-writing and interviewing tips, and access community services, such as the food bank, housing services and services for justice-involved individuals, all under the same roof. Let’s take a look at some of the wins from this year’s Hiring Event and Community Fair. 729 jobseekers attended the event. 68 local businesses participated. 32 community partners had booths at the event to share information. 23 jobseekers were hired on the day of the event. The state police left the event with the application process started for another 46 candidates. Some of the participating businesses who hired jobseekers at the event include: both the Maryland and Washington DC chapters of the National Electrical Contractors Association, Victor Stanley, PSI Pax, Boothe’s Heating and Air Conditioning, Patuxent Habitat for Humanity, Tuckerman Barbee Construction, Apogee, the St. Mary’s Sheriff’s Office and Bob Hall Inc. Various community entities helped to sponsor 250 free backpacks for students. The planning team employed a dynamic, multifaceted marketing campaign that included paid advertisements on social media and messaging via local newspapers, radio, and online news sites to build participation. The team that worked so hard to make the Southern Maryland Hiring Event and Community Resource Fair happen were beyond pleased with the outcome, which exceeded expectations by a wide margin. Participating businesses also praised the event's organization, turnout, and the valuable connections they were able to make as a result. The bar has been set high for next year’s event!

Congratulations, Class of 2023...and Beyond! Each year, adult education programs recognize the effort, determination, and success of learners across Maryland.  Graduation ceremonies highlight individual accomplishments and provide an opportunity for family and friends to join in celebrating the graduates' accomplishments. From the hearts of students and guest speakers spring testimonials to the rewards of persistence, dedication, and focus in the face of adversity. Adult education graduations also mark fresh starts and revitalized confidence for the new year. The local organizations, volunteers, and businesses that play crucial roles in providing resources, mentorship, and a supportive environment for adult learners also gather to take part in these celebrations of success. For the students, the graduation ceremony is not an endpoint; rather, it marks the progress of academic achievement, growth, and resilience. Congratulations to all graduates, past and future! (For more information about Title II adult education programs in Maryland, please visit: https://www.labor.maryland.gov/adultliteracy/programs.shtml). Picture: from left to right:  Douglas Weimer, Deputy Director of Adult Education & Literacy Services; Ahu Moser, Adult Education Program Specialist; Jessie Thompson, Instructional Specialist, Harford Community College; Dr. Lorraine Peniston, Director of Adult Development and Literacy, Harford Community College; Kellie Blair Hardt, Board of Directors at GED Testing Service, Teacher, Education Advocate.

New Americans Corner Ever wonder about the refugee resettlement process? What do the different immigration statuses mean? What services do eligible refugees receive upon arrival? Workforce GPS presented the following webinar - Refugee Resettlement Services 101 - with lots of great information to answer those very questions. Additionally, Workforce GPS has a dedicated page to resources for New Americans.  Connect with your MD Labor Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning New Americans Initiative Coordinator, Joana Winningham, for questions, comments, or concerns in working with New Americans.

Workforce Partners

Maryland Department of Labor                                                                  Maryland Department of Human Services

Maryland State Department of Education                                                Governor's Workforce Development Board

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development                            Maryland Workforce Association

Maryland's Latest Workforce Development Updates                                                                                                                          

• Mark Your Calendar for the 2024 Conference of the Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) -

  COABE’s 2024 Conference Adult Education: Together in Harmony, will be held in Nashville, Tennessee from March 17 – 20. Learn more here.

  COABE’s mission is to inspire educators so adults succeed and communities thrive. The organization provides leadership, professional development, advocacy, and communication services that encourage greater consciousness and cultural competency in interactions with teachers, administrators, adult learners, and partners.

• New Professional Development Resource for Workforce Professionals: The Foundational Career Coach Skills Training Program -

  Are you looking for an opportunity to add fresh ideas to your workforce toolkit? Check out the Foundational Career Coach Skills (FCCS) training program, developed by the Markle Foundation and the Rework America Alliance. The FCCS program includes short, self-paced courses that individually take 30 to 90 minutes to complete. Courses can be taken in any combination, from single courses to the full training series. A total of almost 20 hours of training is available – all free of charge.

  Training benefits include:

  • Access to new tools and data to help job seekers find better-paying jobs.
  • Strategies for helping people to identify their transferable skills and move into open roles in a new field.
  • Techniques to help people overcome barriers that impact their ability to find work.
  • Insights into today’s job market and the changing world of work.
  • New tools and tactics that can lead to more successful outcomes for jobseekers.

  Learn more at: https://markle.org/careercoach-skills-training.  

• New Agile Work Profiler Tool and Workshop Available to Maryland Jobseekers - 

  “Tell me some of the things you’re good at.”

  This a common introductory comment workforce specialists use to give jobseekers a starting place for exploring career options or refining résumés. While the comment may seem straightforward, jobseekers are often stymied by it. Articulating one’s skills and experience can be surprisingly challenging, as anyone who’s tried can attest. The Reemployment Services team at Maryland’s Department of Labor recently rolled out free in-person and online workshop sessions featuring the Agile Work Profiler (AWP) to help jobseekers overcome this sometimes daunting challenge.

  The research-based AWP is a free career assessment tool that assists jobseekers in clarifying what they are good at and what they like doing. After completing the 15-minute AWP assessment, jobseekers receive a ranked list of their Agilities – which are universal to all occupations. The ten Agility areas include:

  • Developing Others
  • Innovating
  • Inspecting
  • Judging and Estimating
  • Managing
  • Operating Objects
  • Organizing
  • Selling and Communicating
  • Serving and Caring
  • Working with Information

  The Agilities framework is based on a growth mindset, so an Agility at the low end should not be seen as a liability, but simply as an opportunity for growth. The AWP system focuses on strategically analyzing Agilities to help jobseekers map out the most effective path to achieve their career goals.

  Nearly 40 MD Labor workforce specialists are now certified facilitators for the AWP workshops, which are offered as both online and in-person sessions. Workshop attendees complete the AWP assessment and learn how to use a comprehensive suite of career exploration tools to answer questions such as:

  • Which Agilities are associated with my dream job?
  • What do occupations pay that have my top-ranked Agility?
  • What is the demand for occupations with various Agilities?
  • Can I do a side by side comparison of the Agilities associated with multiple occupations?
  • Where can I find post-secondary programs that align with the Agilities I want to build on?

  The best news of all? The AWP tool and the facilitator-led workshops are both free! If a jobseeker or adult learner with whom you are working could benefit from this exciting new offering, please direct them to contact Statewide Reemployment Program Director Suja Joseph, at suja.joseph@maryland.gov.

• Maryland Department of Disabilities Accessibility Project - 

  Maryland is one of few states with its own accessibility law, the Maryland Non Visual Access Clause (NVA). The NVA requires information technology solutions and services to be accessible to blind and low vision individuals. This level of commitment to ensuring individuals with vision disabilities have full access to state resources is a great starting point, but there is a lot of confusion surrounding the law. What is required to be compliant? What needs to be done to achieve “accessibility” as defined under the law? How can staff responsible for posting accessible content integrate that step into the process? The answers to these questions and much more are available in a recorded webinar that provides a full overview of the NVA Clause. Carve some time out of your schedule to engage in this excellent professional development opportunity! To learn more about the work of the Department of Disabilities, visit www.mdod.maryland.gov.

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Benchmarks of Success Newsletters

• For all previous newsletter issues, click here.

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Benchmarks of Success Committee Updates

Committee Chairs welcome questions from newsletter readers regarding the work in which their groups are involved! To be connected with a committee's leadership team, feel free to contact the Communications Committee at dlwdalcommunications-labor@maryland.gov.

All committees are currently meeting virtually.

• The Executive Steering Committee is composed of the agency leaders of the partner agencies who meet periodically to provide the WIOA Alignment Group with high-level guidance. You can learn more about the Executive Steering Committee’s ongoing activities here.
• The WIOA Alignment Group is composed of the department and division-level leaders of partner agencies who meet on a monthly basis to collaboratively address issues, plan joint efforts, make recommendations to the Executive Steering Committee, and manage and guide the activities of the Benchmarks of Success committees. The WIOA Alignment Group typically meets on the last Monday of each month. The most recent meeting was held on October 30, 2023. The next meeting date will be determined. You can learn more about the WIOA Alignment Group’s ongoing activities here.
• The Data and Dashboard Committee is comprised of representatives from partner agencies who possess subject matter expertise in program-based performance requirements and data collection methodologies and tools. The Committee meets on a quarterly basis to develop a consistent, sustainable system all workforce partners can use to measure, analyze, display, and apply Benchmarks data to continuously improve the quality and effectiveness of services. The Committee held its most recent meeting on November 14, 2023. The group's next meeting date will be determined. You can learn more about the Data and Dashboard Committee’s ongoing activities here.
• The Communications Committee is comprised of representatives from partner agencies who possess subject matter expertise in programs and communications methods and tools. The Committee meets on a monthly basis to foster the integration of Maryland’s workforce system by broadly promoting the activities of the Benchmarks of Success committees and the services and resources of partner agencies and programs. The Benchmarks of Success newsletter is the committee's main deliverable. The newsletter serves as a central forum targeting frontline service providers, where partners can share information on important developments that impact the system. The Committee held its most recent meeting on January 10, 2024. The group's next meeting date will be February 8, 2024. You can learn more about the Communications Committee’s ongoing activities here.
• The Policy Committee is comprised of representatives from partner agencies who possess subject matter expertise in workforce system policy issues. The Committee meets on a monthly basis to research policy issues and produces an annual Policy Recommendations Report. The recommendations included in the Report help to guide system priorities and initiatives. The next meeting of the Committee is to be determined. You can learn more about the Policy Committee’s ongoing activities here.
• The Professional Development and Technical Assistance Committee works to advance a unified professional development program that helps all partner programs maximize access to and use of skills and credentialing and life management skills, eliminate barriers to employment through the use of supportive services, and strengthen and enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the workforce system. The Committee typically meets on the third Wednesday of each month. The group held its most recent meeting on October 18, 2023. The date for the committee's next meeting will be determined. You can learn more about the Professional Development and Technical Assistance Committee’s activities here.

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Contact us!

Have a story you would like to see featured? Email us at dlwdalcommunications-labor@maryland.gov.