Baltimore County, MD Webinar Series: Baltimore County Business Forum—COVID-19 and Beyond, 8 Jun 2020

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From YouTube: Who's Hiring Now

Description

This webinar session offers job seekers timely and tangible information on what jobs are available and how to best position themselves for success. Panelists include hiring managers from Baltimore County’s manufacturing and healthcare sectors, and talent recruiters and workforce development professionals from government and private industry.

For more virtual training opportunities, visit our website at http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/virtualcareer

A

Yeah,, this is our webinar series number four.

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On covid,, where we're dealing with issues of our local economy here in baltimore county., I'm will anderson, the director of economic and workforce development.- we're putting these programs on with our county executive, johnny olszewski, to cover what's happening as we're in covid,, what's happening as we're going out and we've been tackling different topics.

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today is very specific..

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It's about helping people find successful, new career directions coming out of covid, and this is work that we've logged on,, but it's work that is really essential during and as we come out of covid..

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So the way we will be doing the program today.

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Is county executive will be making some opening remarks. we'll frame a discussion.? We have a series of questions coming in from our audience and we'll address those with our panel. so,. What I'd like to do very quickly is just introduce our panel to folks and then we'll come back for q and a after the county executive makes his remarks.

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but I'll point out to folks that if you have questions,, you can put them in the chat or you can send them to an email, address,.

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Which is businesshelp@baltimorecountymd.gov.

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That's businesshelp@baltimorecountymd.gov.

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And there is a real person at the other end of that line,. That's todd, dolbin, he's fielding questions now..

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I see them coming in already. so, with that. Let me introduce our panel and just say hello very briefly to all and then we'll being..

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First, we have rose fish,, who is the regional business solutions consultant at our partner at the state of maryland, department of labor.? How are you rose? I'm doing well, thank you,. How are you will?.

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Good, good,, thank you joining.. We also have from our own county,.

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Department of economic and workforce development,, our talent management, coordinator,, leighton, mcphaull,,.

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Leighton,, how are you? doing well, will, good afternoon.

B

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From mccormick and company,, we have edna manuud,, who is the america's talent and acquisition director.

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hello, edna,, thanks for joining us. hi, will,, thanks for inviting me.

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Happy to be here. and we have matt ayers from gbmc healthcare,.

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Who is the director of talent, acquisition,, hey matt.,.

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We have matt on mute?

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hi, will,, thanks for having me. great. and we have kenya taylor, who's, the owner of express employment, professionals.

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kenya, thanks for joining us., no problem, thanks for much for having me will.

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We really appreciate you all coming.

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And the county executive making time to join this panel as he has for each of our panels.

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Because,, as you know,, we have a very complicated situation going on in the county and part of what the county executive is doing. Right now is focusing on reopening and doing that safely.

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And putting people back to work, so this is really timely and we appreciate our county executive, giving us a few minutes to kick off with this important topic..

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So with that, I'd like county executive, johnny olszewski to make a few remarks and then we'll jump in with our panel.. So mr. county executive., very good,. Thank you. Will.

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And thanks to all of our panelists for being part of today's webinar., I wanna thank everyone for listening in.

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Or watching today.

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I want people to know that in baltimore county, we know that covid-19 has been devastating.

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From both a health perspective, as well as economic development, perspective.

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we've had over 6,000 people suffer from the virus.

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We've had, unfortunately, over 300 people succumb to it.

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But also know, there's been deep economic challenges associated with it and we recognize.

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That, just in the first three weeks in maryland,, the pandemic, we've seen as many people join the unemployment rolls, as we saw through the entirety of the great recession,.

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So we in baltimore county are trying to step up and meet the need wherever it exists,, whether it's over 2 million individual meals, distributed.

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Or having will and his team be there to support both our businesses to get back on their feet,, but also help our residents both access things like unemployment benefits,, but also get reconnected to work..

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So we're very proud of the work that we're doing.. We want you to know that we're here for you as a resource and that we, you know,, the role of government is to serve you and be a partner.

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So, I wanna thank all of our partners from our panelists.. I think you'll see, hopefully some helpful information today.

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And if there's anything we can do in county government,, please let us know. we're here to work alongside you and serve you, and I wanna just thank everybody again for being with us in this time, and this moment.

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We know that we stand with you and will always be there to do whatever we can to help..

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So thanks everybody, thanks will.. Thank you. Mr. county executive.

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I know you have to jump and can't stay with us,.

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But we really appreciate what you're doing and we appreciate you putting this forum together,.

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So thank you very much.. [Johhny] thank you. thanks, I'll jump, into, I'll ask each of our panelists.

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To give their perspective individually,.

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But I wanna frame a couple of things. I mean, when we think about where we are, so today's june 8 and things move really fast.

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Here in covid,, but we have 100,000 people.

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Who've joined the ranks of unemployment just during covid in these three months and our team, leighton will tell you and other folks that are running. This meeting is really, really hard..

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It's been very, very difficult on those families,, those individuals, the state has had a ton going on.

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As rose will tell you, to try to handle that tide of incoming.

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and the question is, so we're at 10.8 percent.

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Unemployment right, now,, crazy number. in the u.s. we're at 14.7 percent.

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But just last week, the u.s. revised that number.

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Downward for the first time in covid, so from 14.7 down to 13.3, and that may be a signal.

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That we have peaked on the unemployment and really the disaster of what's been going on in jobs..

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There may be light at the end of the tunnel right now, and I think our topic today will really point to that.

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Because of what's actually happening., so where are we today and where are we headed?.

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Where do we go from here?? What you heard from the county executive is he's focusing on public safety,, but he's also focusing on opening. he's been opening businesses as rapidly as he can.

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he's already gotten. The county caught up to all of the governor's executive orders on reopening.

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With an intention of trying to stay there as we move on to the next phases that include restaurants and health, clubs and malls and all the places that remain closed., so he's working hard in that regard,.

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But if you're somebody who's been affected and is trying to navigate your career in this space,.

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What do you do now?? What do you do tomorrow and how do you get yourself moving and that's really the nature of today's topic.

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So,, I really appreciate this panel that our team put together to really dive in.

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And what I'd like to do is I'd like to kind of start at the larger level and rose,. If you don't mind, start with you.

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Representing the state and department of labor.

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You know, you've got a very snazzy title,.

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But I'd love to know what actually,. What's your role for folks who are watching now.

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Or watching this later on youtube,, what is your role at the state, and what can you tell us.

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About the local jobs picture right now, as we start to move out of the shutdown?.

F

Okay,, thank you will.. I do have a snazzy title, thank you.

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I am the regional business solutions consultant.

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For baltimore county and baltimore city.

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Basically, that entails a lot.

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I work with the local area, business reps,.

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Like your team, leighton,, lauren and katie,.

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As well as partner agencies and employers,.

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To educate them about the programs and services available to businesses in maryland and baltimore, of course, the county, specifically regarding workforce, recruiting, training and upscaling their employees,.

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Avoiding layoffs and responding when downsizing happens.

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And those types of things.

F

and what was the other part of your question?

F

oh, as far as moving forward in the workforce,.

F

We've definitely seen a slowdown in the layoffs, of course.

F

I'm hoping that we're near the end of that and we're definitely seeing businesses that are starting to reopen slowly but surely.

F

we're keeping our eye on the market,, which I think we're gonna talk about that a little later,. So I don't wanna go too in depth with that,, but we are keeping a close eye on the market to see which industries are going to emerge.

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As the hottest ones on the other side of this.

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Okay. and I know,, because we work with your team and you're working on putting people.

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To work constantly,, not just during covid here.

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I'm thinking about somebody who might be watching right, now, who is, you know,.

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Thinking about their career. they're, not in a position to go back to school,.

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But maybe they need some training and a paycheck to get going, and it makes me think.

A

Of the kind of stuff you do at the state with apprenticeship programs- and I wonder if you could drill into that one as to just a specific example, so people can kind of see some of the options they may not have thought of.

F

Absolutely. sure., so the industries that we're really seeing that are leading the way as far as right now.

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Are construction, of course.

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we're seeing that projects are being moved up because there are less traffic on the roads and less people in the buildings,?

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So it's made it easier for the workers to get in there and really do what they need to do.

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manufacturing,. We have a representative from mccormick,.

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So they'll probably go more into what's entailed with that as well as healthcare., we have a representative for healthcare as well.

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another industry, we're seeing that's growing, is warehousing, logistics, transportation and it.

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All of those industries that I've mentioned have apprenticeship opportunities, available,.

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As you mentioned,, so, if you're looking to make a change into, maybe you don't have a job.

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To go back to., unfortunately, we're hearing that some people, their job has been eliminated or their employer isn't able to reopen yet and they need a job,. You know.

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not to go into unemployment,, but that extra money that we're getting, some of us are earning through the federal pandemic, unemployment. Insurance isn't gonna. Last past july,.

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Of this year,, so it's smart to be proactive. Now.

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If you're looking to move into a different industry,, one of those that I just mentioned would be a good one to look into because they have high growth..

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They are hiring and,, as I mentioned,.

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They have apprenticeship opportunities., so what an apprenticeship or registered apprenticeship is is an opportunity to have a job,.

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You're hired on as a full-time employee,, but you're not required to have a whole lot of experience or background..

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It's understood that most applicants have at least a high school diploma or a ged and have to be at least 18 years of age or older..

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You're hired on as an apprentice. you're paired up with a journey worker,, which is a fully trained, you know,, credentialed or certified worker, who is skilled and able to train.

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The apprentice on, as we call it, on the job training., so the apprentice is paid while they're learning on the job, but they're also attending school,, like community college or I'm not gonna, go too deep.

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Into it,, because it can get very,, it's very flexible, how we can set up apprenticeship, programs,, but there's a school component,, which a lot of times can be entirely.

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Or nearly entirely debt-free, sponsored by either the employer or an organization,, a sponsor organization.

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Through apprenticeship,, but it's a great way.

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To get a college credential or certification, debt free.

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While having a job and starting at a reduced rate,.

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Of the full,, what we call the journey worker rate and then you move up,.

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The apprentice moves up as their skill level, increases., so they're attending classes, they're working on the job with their journey worker and getting hands on experience,, so that it's kind of supplementing what they're learning in the classroom,, all the while getting paid, all the while, not creating student loans and college debt and then increasing their wages.

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As they learn and grow, their skillset.

A

It's such a good option for people to be aware of when they're trying to process all of the options. you can find, folks can find more about the maryland apprenticeships at labor site,.

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You can find it at our website,, which is baltimorecountybusiness.com,.

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But we'll share all these links with folks., so I think that was a great perfect example that people can stretch their thinking right now. Rose.

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you know,, because maybe people aren't thinking about apprenticeships, right, now,, they're thinking about the basics and yet apprenticeships can really help not have money going out the door, money coming in while you're getting trained..

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So that was a tremendous example..

A

Thank you for pointing that out.. I want to jump over to my colleague, leighton mcphaull, about that from, you know, leighton and his team,.

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Rose, you mentioned the team that works with businesses and employers and does a lot of recruitments, putting people together.

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leighton,. I know, you know, some of the stuff.

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You guys have been working on over the past year. Were growth industries, right,, like healthcare, was growing, distribution. Tech were growing. when you look right now for people who you're talking to right now in a career switch,. What are you seeing on the industry side in terms of here's, where the growth is or for the next year or two.?.

B

Thanks will. interesting enough,, as rose mentioned,, she touched on a lot of those industries that are actually looking for, that we're seeing a lot of growth in right, now.

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Transportation, distribution, warehouse, logistics,.

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Healthcare, construction,, manufacturing and technology,.

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Those are most of the ones that we see.

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As those that are getting the most traffic right, now.

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In addition,, businesses that are reaching out.

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To us for assistance and support kind of fall within those particular industries.

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Okay, I think,. I want to give some examples to people.

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'cause, I know you've got a job board, going.

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I'm gonna pull that job board up right now to just show people real live. What's happening., I'm gonna jump the gun a little bit for edna,, 'cause, edna and mccormick are hiring and some of their stuff is there,, so is matt's at gbmc,.

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But maybe if you could describe some examples,.

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For people, while I share my screen and pull up this resource for people.

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absolutely, absolutely.,.

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So,, some of the businesses that we're partnering with right now that we know are doing a number,.

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Hiring for a number of different positions, one is potomac photonics,, which is located in catonsville.

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They are a digital and micro fabrication, manufacturing company and they are actually looking for an entry level position right now. That is an entry level operator.

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Interesting enough,, as rose, was kind of touching on.

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On the job training,, this particular position is entry level for someone who may be just passionate about getting into a manufacturing type job, and this is is more of an advanced manufacturing, where they have on the job training.

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And growth opportunities within that organization.

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Interesting enough,, just one thing I wanna touch on with potomac photonics, during covid-19, they've provided support.

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And they've dedicated some of their equipment.

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And materials to help provide needed ppe.

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In our local area,, which I think was a great, great thing for this company.

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another company, that's doing a lot of hiring for a bunch of different positions, and actually you can see it right now is gray and son, right up. There.

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gray and son has 17, plus different positions.

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That are available right now in the construction industry.. They do site development and they work as a site. Development, contractor.

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So,, you know, feel free to take a look.

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At those different opportunities, as well.

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Curio wellness is another business that we're working with right, now. they're in the timonium area and they actually manufacture safe.

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And reliable healthcare products., they are a medicinal cannabis organization.

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And they are looking for quality assurance technicians and also packaging associates right, now.

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And we actually did a virtual recruitment with them.

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A couple of days ago, so we're trying to adapt in the times of not being able.

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To do traditional job fairs and career events face to face,, so virtual has kind of become.

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The new way to be able to be effective in assisting and supporting our businesses.

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That are looking and recruiting and to be able to provide that type of support for them.

A

That's tremendous.. I know we just touched on a few and I didn't get through the whole list,, but for folks who are looking,, that's at the baltimore county website,.

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So it's at baltimorecountymd.gov/jobboard.

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I know you guys are updating that thing. All the time.

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And there's a lot in there. Besides, just what people might think about,, which is healthcare, just thinking about covid,.

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But it's a broader set.

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so,. I think, I'd like to ask you to add one more thing.

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Leighton about the other side of the work that we do., so you work closely with the employers getting them connected to these big recruitments,.

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But we also have a lot of people that we serve on our career side and our workforce side,.

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So if you can just quickly tell people what we're still doing there for the people.

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Who are looking for career services right, now., absolutely will.,.

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So, we have three career centers in baltimore, county,.

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Unfortunately, due to covid are actually closed.

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However,, we do still have the staff.

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That is able to support everyone virtually., so the buildings are closed,.

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But the service is open. correct,, the buildings are closed,.

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But our services are open and ready to go.

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so, for anyone who needs support in the areas of job searching, resume development,.

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If you're, just looking to help master your interviewing skills, just needing a one-on-one consultation,.

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With one of our career consultants,, you can actually reach out by dialing our 410-887-8000.

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You can leave a message and they will get back to you to schedule an appointment with you or you can actually, or you can email. Our talent works at baltimorecountymd.gov email address.

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And you can actually request services.

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Through that option, as well.

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So we are open for business and if you do need support and assistance,, even if you just have other questions,, that talent works, email address.

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Is also available for additional questions as well.

A

Thanks leighton., I mean we've got a whole team of career counselors that are helping people with resumes and linkedin profiles and interviews. And what do I do next,? So the team is right. There.

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And we really want people to keep leaning on them,, so thank you, leighton..

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There are some questions coming in that I might throw at you in a minute here,, but I want to kind of get through, talk to some of the rest of our panel and focus a little bit on healthcare and I think I'll turn to matt next, at gbmc.

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You know, healthcare's been a number one industry for baltimore county for a long time and it continues to be pre-covid., but now covid has thrown even our hospitals.

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Into this emergency response, mode,, so just starting right, there matt,.

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How are you and your gbmc colleagues.

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Doing on the front lines of covid?.

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Sure, you know, it's interesting because.

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This is a new thing for healthcare..

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Typically, when the economy contracts, healthcare's, always the stable, one, but, you know,, when it's a pandemic,, it's has thrown a monkey wrench into things..

G

You know, we're reopening just like everybody else, is.

G

You know, all healthcare organizations across the area have really seen a dip in services.

G

In their volumes, as patients stayed home to stay safe. but now, as the economy is reopening,, especially with the return of elective surgeries,, you know,. Our volumes are starting to pick back up and of course, we're a service level industry,.

G

So we need those folks to be on the ground and our frontline workers to be able to provide those services. so, as our volumes increase,.

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So does the amount of recruiting that we need to do, and that is picking up quickly.

A

Okay, and is that,. I know you have to hire people.

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On the clinical side,, the nurses,, the aides,.

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And then you also have all the administrative and running the buildings.. Are you hiring on one side or the other side or both?.

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Sure, all sides of it.

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All points that affect patient care,.

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So of course, we're always hiring for those clinical folks and the nurses,, the medical assistants,, so on and so forth.. We did that all the way through the covid pandemic., but also, on,, you know, what I could like our entry level roles.

G

you know,. We have a great need. For, healthcare organizations across the area have need for our housekeeping, our food nutrition folks., you know,, those are heroes and we can't do the patient care and provide for our community unless we have those folks and those roles really represent a great opportunity to kind of break into healthcare and access things like tuition, reimbursement.

G

If somebody maybe had an encounter with covid,.

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A loved one was sick, well,. They themselves got sick.

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And they really find the calling in their heart that altruistic side to be part of healthcare and something bigger and giving back, that's a great way to maybe take a situation that might not be great right for them. Economically,.

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Move into, you know, another industry and then be able to grow and develop into something greater as they move on.

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We're getting questions matt, about that.

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I mean,, I know you hire for a broad range of positions.

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And types,, but when you're looking at a hiring decision.

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At gbmc or really frankly, for any of the hospitals,, can you describe for people that are thinking about it,?

A

What that hiring process might look like right now, because it's a little different to be in an online scenario. absolutely,. That's a great question.

G

And it is. you know,, all of the health organizations have had to kind of, you know, pivot, rapidly to the change in the environment and that included moving to both a larger online or virtual presence., and here at gbmc, we weren't any different.

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you know, right now. We still have a no visitor policy,. So the only people in the building are patients or employees,.

G

So what means for the hiring process, you know,, you go onto what,!

G

You can access any of our open positions on our career page, and if you're interested and meet the qualifications, you can apply, recruiter will reach out to you, you're selected for an interview. that would be virtual..

G

So it's going to on like a zoom, platform,, a skype platform,, it could be on your iphone, facetime,.

G

There's any number of platforms you can use,, but it is different. you know,. It feels different,, it's not the same as sitting in front of someone face to face and getting that kind of dialogue.

G

and, you know,, but the decisions still can be made.

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we're gonna hire,, we're gonna vet folks according to that work and how they present and what their experience looks like and if they have transferrable skills,, especially if they're from an outside industry, and then we would walk through the offer process.

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Of negotiation and hire in that same virtual environment.

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Until day, one of orientation.

A

Okay, a little bit different for most of us to go through all that., but I know people are buying houses and cars and everything without being on site.

A

So,, so I think people need to play around with zoom.

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With their families and friends and get comfortable so that when they're sitting across from matt ayers, they're more comfortable in this, as if we were, you know, right in the same room, together.

G

I agree. in fact,, if I can make a recommendation, that would be the one thing is. I would practice with a family,, you know,. If you're doing, zoom meetings, most people are on doing zoom or something like that now.. They can pretend to be the hiring manager,.

G

Because you'll get more used to that, that feeling of seeing your picture in the lower corner and so on and so forth and be better when you present.

G

A

Thanks matt. I'd like to shift from healthcare over to manufacturing. and,, you know, we're lucky to have mccormick here.

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In hunt valley and greater baltimore.

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And edna manuud runs the america's talent group.

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At mccormick and thanks for joining.

A

You guys are a big presence here,, but you're, actually a big presence around the world.. What's going on at mccormick and your industry overall?, I know people are at home,, they're cooking, a lot more.

A

they're using your products,, I'm using your products.. But what can you tell us about the situation.

A

From the jobs perspective at mccormick.

A

And your industry?.

C

So, we're part of the essential food supply chain,.

C

So covid has impacted us two different ways.

C

For the food industry, right?, so if we talk about restaurants and offline food chains., they have seen like a dip, right?.

C

There are some restaurants that have closed and some that have decreased.

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Their services, right? so that took a dip, however, on the other side,.

C

Packaged food has seen an upsurge, right?

C

so for your point,. A lot of people started cooking at home,, so they're buying more of our products and then for instance, chips and pretzels.

C

Had like 186 percent growth.

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and we supply the flavor to those chips, right,, so our company has been doing well on that side,.

C

So there's been an increase in demand for our products,, which means an increase in talent, needs.

C

So,, as you know,, as you said, earlier, a lot of our jobs are posted right now.

C

we are hiring., our plants continue to manufacture and we've actually increased the number of lines across all the sites, pretty much in the united states,.

C

So there's a large need,.

C

So a lot of opportunities within the mccormick organization.

A

What kind of stuff are you hiring for right now that a general audience would be interested in?.

C

So across the board, right..

C

So if we're gonna speak about the baltimore area,.

C

For professional roles, we have about 40 positions available across finance, supply, chain, hr,.

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You know, all the different functions, just,. You know, check our website. Mccormick.Com/Careers,.

C

But more than that we have a lot of opportunities.

C

In our plants and our distribution center.

C

right now in your website, there's about 80 non-exempt openings., I believe that we have posted. A lot of them are already there.

C

however, on friday,. I was advised that we are gonna hire about 150 more for hunt valley, plant alone,, so that gonna bring total positions.

C

In the next two months that we'll hire for maryland alone would be about close to 300 roles., specifically for the plants and the distribution centers., so those openings would be like production, technicians,, maintenance,, distribution, warehouse technicians., a lot of those openings, so, depending on your experience,, the entry level would be a high school diploma. Requirement, ability to life like 50 pounds.

C

Forklift experience is a plus for our distribution, centers.

C

So there's a lot of opportunities and of course,. If you have experience from manufacturing,, that's gonna be a plus as well..

C

It's so nice to hear you and matt.

A

Talking about big numbers of hiring people when,, you know, for three months,: we've just been really taking a beating trying to help people who were going in the other direction..

A

So let me just ask you one other thing before I jump, is about when you talked about the plant and you talked about your workers and what kind of adaptations.

A

Have you made at mccormick to keep the workforce safe.

A

And healthy and following the cdc guidelines?.

A

Yeah, so as an organization,.

C

Mccormick values, health, safety and well-being of our employees,, so that's,, you know,, always on top of the list for our ceo and one of the things that we make sure.

C

To provide is flexibility, right,, because a lot of people are in very different situations now right,. If you have dependents., so we're very flexible around that, and that's part of the reason why we're hiring more people, right? it's giving the opportunity for people that need to stay home to stay home..

C

Let me add that in the corporate office,.

C

As matt was saying, earlier, everyone works from home.. Everything is virtual now.. We gave people that didn't have laptops before laptops, so they could continue to work at home., but in the plants,, because you have to be there,.

C

Of course we have to practice social distancing, and that means for some of the plants, for instance,.

C

If you are on an eight-hour shift, we'll end it an hour, early,, seven hours,, so that there's no overlap with the next shift, which they used to have,.

C

So to practice that social distancing,, you still get paid for your eight hours, right,, but the shift was changed to seven hours in some plants.

C

Everyone is provided with a mask, of course, and all the ppe that they need to work safely.

C

And then, of course, there's premium pay.

C

Of $2 per hour for all the people.

C

That have had to go to the plants to help continue our ability to produce.

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And meet the needs of the businesses that we support.

A

Fantastic. so, you're hiring a lot of people, there's a lot of safety built into it,.

A

There's some incentives build into it,, so fantastic.

A

And you,, both you and matt represent large employers,.

A

Two of the larger employers in the county.

A

I'd like to switch over to,, you know,, we have a ton of small businesses.. We have 21,000 small businesses, just in our county. I'd like to jump over to kenya, taylor,, who owns and operates express employment, professionals,.

A

Which is a recruitment firm and I know kenya,. Your organization covers.

A

A wide range of fields like industrial.

A

And office and skilled trades,, so you're kind of the perfect person to ask the big question, the question du jour of who is hiring now and we'd love for you to name names.

A

So that folks, who are watching, know exactly where they can be looking., so could you jump in with that general question?, sure.

D

You're right, will.. We cover a gambit in the industry.

D

We cover everything from light: industrial,, manufacturing, construction to office, support.

D

And I'm having, you know, engineering firms.

D

That are in baltimore city on a smaller scale,.

D

Reaching out to me for administrative officers.

D

Who know how to do contracting specialists.

D

I'm also having, you know, smaller to mid-size.

D

Corporations such as double envelope reaching out to me for manufacturing, forklift, operators, warehouse, operators.

D

They're just looking for flexibility- and I think that's something that is kind of gonna carry over for many positions- is that flexibility.

D

you may be hired to be a forklift operator,, but if they need you to help out in some of the other departments,, they wanna be able to call on you for that..

D

So that is something that I'm hearing coming out of. This.

D

additionally,. I have a bookkeeper for.

D

A small consulting firm in timonium.

D

That they're looking for. they're a little bit in the consulting online space,.

D

But they are looking for bookkeepers.

D

so,, I'm having people from all walks of life.

D

Reach out to me., I even had someone who owns a liquor store reach out to me, the other day. I think, they're in white hall and so they're. Looking for stockers and,, you know, people that can help out in the store.

D

And I think, you know, people,.

A

As we come back to work, people will decide. Am I coming back to work?.

A

People who've maybe been on the bubble about.

A

Am I ready to retire? and now? Yes, I am and now suddenly there's another job, opening that there wasn't pre-covid,.

A

So some of that may shake out and come into professional, recruiting firms like you.

A

and you work with, between both businesses.

A

And job seekers like somewhere between.

A

In a sports analogy,, the coach or the scout.

A

So what kind of good advice would you give to the job seeker, the job applicant side,, so that they can be more successful?.

D

Sure., I would say to be open. as you've heard here: today,.

D

There are a lot of positions out there and I know that we're all struggling and we're all facing a lot of difficulties right, now, to just be open.. I've had positions since the beginning of covid.

D

And many of them have gone unfilled., and I know everyone does not wanna work in a pandemic and those are the conversations that I have to have.. Are you, okay, with working in a pandemic??

D

Are you okay, with interviewing in a pandemic?, because our interview process has moved online and we started actually doing that before covid.?

D

It was something that we were trying out as an organization as a whole, where we kind of switched over to telephone interviews, because we know that there are barriers in transportation,.

D

People have difficulty getting to interviews,, so we wanted to remove that.. So it's just been amplified with covid.

D

But at that same time,, as some of the other panelists.

D

Have mentioned and you've mentioned, some of those positions may or may not be coming. Back.

D

And if they are coming back,, then they may be on a part-time scale..

D

So I would just encourage everyone to be open,.

D

Continue to look in different avenues,.

D

Network with your inner circle, as well as those outside., we send our job postings to a number of different churches every single week. Just so, we can reach the public.

D

And let them know that we're here, and these are the positions that we have available.

A

I wanna ask you one other question,, then I wanna, we're getting questions from our audience that I wanna bring back to you,.

A

But the question I wanted to ask you, are people making common mistakes?

A

'cause? I know when you said you've been doing the interviews online for a while and matt was giving some tips on how to get comfortable,. Are there killer mistakes? People are making.

A

At this point that you could help them not make in the job application process,, particularly as it's online?

A

sure,, a couple of things.

D

I know it's challenging to say this,, but whenever we call someone.

D

And we call people,, we try to call people between eight to five. If we receive your resume.

D

However, sometimes we do call people after hours and people answer the phone and they may not answer the phone in the best way,.

D

So that will screen you out in our process.

D

We do have a process that we go through, that you have to successfully pass through in order to work with us and if that first interaction.

D

With you is maybe a little off putting,.

D

Then you may not move forward in the process,.

D

So we are seeing that quite frequently.

D

and I know people are looking for jobs and people are,, you know, a little upset and have their own personal things that they are going through,, but we are seeing that..

D

The other thing, I would say, is maybe asking questions.

D

Have some questions prepared for us because we are gonna, ask you questions,, but we love to see that interaction so that we can speak on your behalf when you're not there about your enthusiasm,.

D

Some questions that you gave us that were very enlightened,.

D

We like to be able to pass that on to our clients as well. okay,. I wanna ask you a specific question.

A

James has asked a question as an it. Professional.

A

So, are any of your companies hiring in the it space? and if I could start with you,, but we could kind of round robin around the panel.

A

Are you seeing it hiring right, now?.

A

D

It just depends on the level that he's looking for.

D

I've had an organization reach out in hunt valley.

D

And they are looking for entry level. It.

D

A

Well, we can connect people to your site for them to find it. of course, we're posting stuff on our jobs, board. any of our other panelists hiring in the it space right, now?.

C

We are hiring, too, at mccormick..

C

We have some it openings,, but the question is what their experience is.

E

You can check our website.

C

We do have some openings right, now. okay,, I wanna jump to,. Thank you all.

A

For making your remarks. there's a couple of questions that have come in that I'd like to,, I think I'm gonna put these two first questions over to rose and anyone can jump in, but they're really about specific populations.

A

That are looking for employment., like for example,, ex-offenders or folks.

A

With a disability and sometimes folks,.

A

Don't even know that there's resources for them as somebody with a special need or a special situation, trying to enter or make a move in the market.

A

What would, rose,? What would you say on that? One about ex-offenders or folks with disabilities?.

F

And I apologize,- I don't know if you even noticed,, but I lost connection,, but I'm back,. So I hope I didn't miss anything.

F

yes,. I would encourage you to connect with, leighton mentioned our american job. Centers.

F

And even though, as he mentioned,, the buildings are physically closed due to covid right now,, our services are still fully available. Virtually.

F

We do have, they're called reentry navigators,.

F

Which are individuals that work with job seekers.

F

And businesses to encourage.

F

That partnership,, so in other words,, they work with job seekers who are either nearing release from incarceration.

F

Or have recently been released, or maybe not even recently., maybe they have things on their background. Or,, you know, other reentry related issues.

F

They also work, the navigators, also work with businesses to encourage,, to teach them one, about the benefits of hiring these individuals and some of the other benefits like tax incentives and things like that.

F

so,. It encourages individuals and same thing with individuals with disabilities.

F

our american job, centers, also partner with the division of rehabilitation services..

F

We call the dors affectionately, d-o-r-s.

F

And again,, just like the reentry navigators,, we have dors counselors who work with job seekers.

F

Who have disabilities that are a barrier to employment.

F

So, those individuals are trained specifically.

F

To work with individuals with those barriers.

F

And help them overcome them.

A

Terrific. and other questions coming in related to,.

A

Remarcus is asking about jobs for veterans.

A

So leighton, we've got resources at the job centers for veterans specifically,. Do we not?.

B

We do, we do. and, as a matter of fact,, we have veteran representatives.

B

That actually support our veteran population.

B

and they are available also through our career centers.

B

And if you need to be connected to one,.

B

All you need to do is just reach out to our direct number or either our email address, and we will be able to connect you to a veteran representative who will be able to support you with any veteran related services.

A

Terrific- and I see people are asking.

A

About very specific jobs in human resources and administrative., I think, our whole panel expressed,.

A

There's a lot of openings out there and there's probably gonna, be a lot more in six months.

A

As people are finding their way back,, so I really encourage people to go to these job boards.

A

I was just looking at, even on linkedin,.

A

I'm looking at their article about getting back to work.

A

They've got a laundry list of what's going on in our region. there's a job fair with the universities,.

A

The maryland career consortium coming up next week,.

A

So there's a lot going., it's time for people to get out there.

A

And I know we're coming up on time., I'm looking through the questions to see. If there's broad questions that we haven't addressed., I don't see any,. So what I'd like to do is go through the panel and ask if anybody would like to add a piece to theirs.

A

I think I need to pull up the powerpoint, so we can show people some links to where folks can find this information..

A

But rose, did you want to make any closing statements from the state?.

F

Yes, am I on,, I'm unmuted, okay.

F

Yes,, thank you. Will.

F

so, again,, not to focus all about apprenticeship,, but it is a great way to transition into a new industry and as well as not necessarily.

F

Start from the bottom, but see a way to progress, up.

F

As far as apprenticeship is concerned,, we found stats from the u.s. department of labor..

F

It released a survey showing that 94 percent of all apprentices are still with the same employer a year after they finish their apprenticeship., so there's also a high retention rate as well for the business side..

F

So it's job security,, which is something that we're, I think,.

F

A lot of us are looking for during these times..

F

They talk about recession, proof,, not that any industry is recession, proof,, but apprenticeship leads to a highly skilled.

F

Occupation- that is more secure. I should say.

F

During these times. so definitely look into it.. You mentioned the website for maryland. Apprenticeship.

F

We do have a maryland apprenticeship locator..

F

You can actually google it and pull up the majority of the sponsors that we have in the state of maryland to see what industries, job titles..

F

It even shows you the starting rate as an apprentice, like what you would start earning as an hourly wage..

F

So I would encourage you to check that out and please let me or leighton or anyone on this call.

F

Know if you have more questions. we'll get you in contact with someone that can help you explore that. great,, I'm gonna put your link up.

A

At the end, rose. and you're, reminding me there's some really innovative apprenticeships out there..

A

One of them is called retrain america right now that a company in the area, catalyte, is doing,.

A

That is taking people with some ability in it,.

A

Paying for them to go through training,, paying to get them into a job and putting them in these careers as coders in retrain america..

A

So you guys are doing a lot.. The market is doing some innovative stuff..

A

So we'll add that link. leighton, is there any final remarks you wanted to make as we close out the panel?.

A

Yes,, I would like to make one additional comment.

B

Just to kind of reiterate,, I know that a lot of job seekers are probably feeling very overwhelmed with not just covid alone.

B

And being at home and there's just a lot of changes that are going on right, now., please know that there are resources out there.

B

In support for you. our career, centers,, yes, again, we're not open.

B

To the public right now,, but our staff is available. they're, just a phone call or an email away.

B

So I would just really encourage you if you need some comfort,. Some support.

B

And just feeling uncomfortable with the whole, navigating the employment scope, there,.

B

Please feel free to reach out to us via email on our line there, and I believe we're gonna have that at the end, as well.

A

Yep, thanks leighton. matt, any concluding remarks from you and gbmc?.

G

Just again, to say it's a great opportunity,, it's a great time now for folks that are displaced with parallel skill sets to join the healthcare industry..

G

You know,, whether it's a telephone operator or a cashier working in one of our shops or environmental services,. You know, people with great customer service,.

G

It's really what we're looking for that supports our values as we help our patients.

G

And that goes a long ways. that opens the door to future opportunities,.

G

If they wanna be a nurse, that we can support them in their education through that, and I can tell you- we have people that work here for 50 years and they started out.

G

In environmental services and they're a nurse practitioner now., I mean they've lived that story,, so it happens, I've seen it. and it's the rare opportunity for those folks now.

G

Great,, thank you. Matt.

A

Edna and mccormick, any final thoughts before we wrap up? yes,. Thank you for this opportunity. Again.

C

You know,, I want to invite everyone.

C

To check out our career, site. mccormick has been in baltimore for 131 years, right,.

C

And we continue to grow, 30, some plus years of continued profits.

C

And dividends for our shareholders., we value our people and would like to invite you to check out our opportunities to become part of the mccormick family.

C

If I may add, will, a tip for all those people.

C

That are looking for opportunities out there..

C

I always tell people to tweak your resume, right,.

C

Because there's a lot of ai technology out there and that's what does the screening of all the resumes, right?? So you can't use the same resume for all the different jobs..

C

It increased the chances if you tweak it to match what the job is. Looking for,, assuming, of course you have those skills, right..

C

So in your summary or overview at the top,, make sure you sell yourself., that's your opportunity.!

C

It's a quick thing where a recruiter,, if it's a manual process, sees right away what you're bringing into the role and for ai, it's a chance for the match-up, right,.

C

Of the skills and qualifications that the ai's looking.

C

For for that, job, against what you're bringing to that opportunity. so, have a basic resume and then tweak it depending on what that role is looking for..

C

I think that increases your opportunity to get to the next level,, which would be a phone or a skype. Interview.

A

Great, thank you.. I know so much of who gets that interview.

A

Is based on networking these days., so it's a great time for people to spend time.

A

read a couple articles on how to activate your network,, how to turn people into ambassadors, for you.

A

So that it's not just a blind application.

A

When there's a lot of people applying for it and tweaking your resume toward, it is a great tip, thank you.. So I'd like to end with kenya.

A

any final thoughts kenya?, we do have people asking in the chat box, very specifically for your email address.

A

Or your web address, if you could include that for people.

A

D

Thank you so much for having me this afternoon, will..

D

My email address is my name, kenya, k-e-n-y-a dot.

D

Taylor, t-a-y-l-o-r at express pros, p-r-o-s dot, com.

D

And they can feel free to email me their resume..

D

I look at resumes all day long, every day,, every day., so I will definitely take a look at it and see how we can help you. additionally, express has been around for 35 years.

D

We have 825 offices., so feel free to send me your resume..

D

If I do not have anything, that's readily available that matches your skill set,. I will share with our neighboring offices and we have 10 strategically placed in maryland.

D

A few tidbits that I will leave you with.

D

Is the fact that I know it's challenging right now.

D

And looking for a job is gonna, be like looking for a job.

D

It's gonna be a job within itself.

D

But we're here as a resource to help you.

D

We always wanna help the community any way that we can..

D

I do have positions that are available and I'm looking forward to helping you any way that I can.

A

Terrific, thanks kenya., I am gonna share my screen as we close out here, because I do have some of the links up. Here.

A

Let me get up to it.

A

A couple of general links are.

A

This baltimorecountybusiness.com is really.

A

Where we have all of our resources in the county.

A

I know mccormick is at mccormick.com and gbmc, the big ones you can find,.

A

Kenya provided hers,, but here's the link.

A

To some specific pieces inside maryland's.

A

Department of labor that rose was talking about.

A

You can also go if you're still dealing with unemployment issues,.

A

You can also go to mdunemployment.com,, but we're trying to keep all of our stuff in the county in one easy place to remember, baltimorecountybusiness.com and it links to all of our covid stuff,, but also our non-covid stuff..

A

We continue to make loans to businesses and help do small business counseling as well.

A

So,, those are our resources..

A

We really appreciate everyone on this panel jumping in.

A

And spending the day with us and for all of our guests that were out there.

A

thanks to the team running this meeting, for county executive olszewski, joining us, courtney running the tech. In the background.

A

And jessica and todd and allen for putting things all together here.. So I love how the optimism that you ended with kenya.

A

And that we have people that are really hiring and people like lauren and rose who are actually helping connect.. There is an opportunity out, there,, not easy,, but there are opportunities out there,.

A

So we're encouraged that we have so many good employers in baltimore county.. We thank you all and we look forward to seeing you at our next webinar..

A

So thanks everybody.

C

A

C

Thank you,, bye. bye.