Mayor Taveras Announces New Partnership To Host Job Fairs For Area Residents

PROVIDENCE, RI - Mayor Angel Taveras of Providence and Mayor Allan W. Fung of Cranston have announced a new partnership to host a series of eight job fairs for area residents, under the leadership of Workforce Solutions of Providence/ Cranston.

The job fairs will be held throughout the year and are industry- specific. They will target the industries of health care, construction, hospitality & tourism, education, information technology, finance, insurance, manufacturing, retail, banking and accounting.

The series kicks off with a health care job fair, on Wednesday, February 13, from 12 noon until 3 PM. All job fairs will be free and open to the public, and held at the Roger Williams Park Casino, 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence. Representatives of companies and institutions will be accept applications and address hiring questions, and there will also be other service providers on hand.

Among those participating in the first job fair are: Benchmark Quality Senior Living, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island, EPOCH senior living, Fogarty Center, Home and Hospice of Rhode Island, Memorial Hospital, State of Rhode Island Office of Health and Human Services, Thundermist, Visiting Nurses Home Care, Women and Infants and the Veterans Administration Hospital.

Residents are urged to pre-register because space is limited. For the schedule of upcoming job fairs and/or to pre-register click here. To find existing job openings, please click here.

"It is critical we do everything in our power to help un- and underemployed residents find meaningful, stable work, "Mayor Taveras said. "There is an urgent need for qualified workers, and we are committed to bringing those individuals together with our small businesses and service providers, to address both the needs of industry and residents seeking a new career or job. "

"I am happy to join with Mayor Taveras to announce a joint effort at getting people back to work. The residents of our great cities deserve every opportunity to find gainful employment and through our combined efforts we will provide them a forum to do so. These job fairs will certainly go a long way towards helping them meet potential employers and provide essential networking opportunities," said Mayor Fung.

Job Fair Schedule:

• February 13 - Health Care
• April 17 - Construction
• May 15 - Hospitality & Tourism
• June 11 - Education
• August 14 - Information Technology
• September 4 - Manufacturing
• September 18 - Retail
• November 13 - Banking and accounting

Representatives from the Business Workforce Center at the RI Department of Labor and Training are assisting with the planning, promotion and operations of the job fairs. DLT Assistant Director of Workforce Development Susan Chomka says, "Local workforce investment boards make perfect partners for our Business Workforce Center, because the local boards have strong community connections and our workforce center has expert recruitment skills. Together, we can make strong matches between job seekers and area employers."

Also taking part in the launch announcement was Janet Raymond, Senior Vice President of Economic Development and Operations at the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Workforce Investment Board of Providence/Cranston.

"I commend Mayors Taveras and Fung for this unique collaboration which is directly aimed at addressing Rhode Island's unemployment picture," said Janet Raymond, senior vice president of Economic Development and Operations at the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and Chair of the Workforce Investment Board of Providence/Cranston. "The Workforce Board stands ready to assist in the effort to match local workers with job opportunities."

"This is exactly the kind of effort we have to take to tackle the difficult challenges unemployment presents," said James S. Bennett, Director of Economic Development for the City of Providence. "There are no simple answers but certainly working with other leaders to bring employers and potential employees together can help to address this very serious problem."