412-464-4000
Photo: Andrew Shulgin via Flickr. Licensed under Creative Commons.
Nearly 30 companies, agencies are ready to meet with job-hunters at event in Homestead
Are you looking for a new job — or a better job? Or maybe you’re re-entering the workforce and you aren’t sure where to start?
There may be no better place to find your new career than at a free event in Homestead June 7.
Nearly 30 companies will be on-site and interviewing candidates during “Jump Start Your Job Search,” to be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Mon Valley Initiative, 305 East Eighth Ave., Homestead.
The event is being presented by MVI and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Re-Entry Coalition. For more information, call 412-464-4000, ext. 4000, or email dmattie@monvalleyinitiative.com.
“Employers in the Pittsburgh area are having a hard time finding qualified people,” said Rikki Anderson, senior employment specialist and financial coach at MVI. “And we know the unemployment rate is very low right now.”
“But at the same time, we know that many people in the Pittsburgh area are struggling to make ends meet,” Anderson said. “They may be working a job that doesn’t pay enough, or which doesn’t have any path for career advancement.”
“Jump Start Your Job Search” is designed to meet both sets of needs — helping local employers fill vacancies, and helping area residents find lasting, meaningful employment.
“We are telling people to bring a positive attitude and your resume,” said Tracey Reaves, MVI director of workforce and business development. “And if you don’t have an up-to-date resume, or you need some additional training or coaching before you re-enter the workforce, we can help with that, too.”
The last time MVI held a similar hiring event, during 2017, several people were interviewed on the spot and later received job offers, Reaves said.
From offices in Homestead and Charleroi, MVI provides free career coaching services to people in Allegheny, Washington and Westmoreland counties, including help with career planning, resumes, interviewing techniques and so-called “soft skills.”
MVI is also one of three federally designated Financial Opportunity Centers in Western Pennsylvania, and the only one outside of the City of Pittsburgh.
Above: Tracey Reaves
Last year, nearly 300 people enrolled in MVI’s workforce development program. More than 60 percent of them obtained jobs, sometimes after overcoming significant barriers, including divorces, substance abuse problems or other obstacles, Reaves said.
“We work with every single person who comes in the door, regardless of their circumstances,” she said. “If they’re ready to change their lives for the better and find a new career, we are ready to walk with them.”
Industries that will be represented at the June 7 event will include manufacturing, construction, skilled trades, hospitality, recreation, health care, government services and food service.
In addition, resources for the unemployed and under-employed also will have information available, including Dress for Success, Families Outside, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Men’s Wearhouse, Rainbow Kitchen and PA Ways to Work.
Employers scheduled to participate include Allegheny Health Network, Allied Universal, Amazon, ChildCare Careers, Christian Home Health Care, Courtyard by Marriott, Dollar Bank, Duquesne Light, Eat ’n Park Hospitality Group , First Commonwealth Bank, Giant Eagle, Grifols Biomat USA, IBEW Local 126, Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh, KoolKleen, Laborers Local Unions 1058 and 373, Lowe’s, McConway & Torley, Mistick Construction, MPW Industrial Services, Nesco Resources, PennDOT, St. Moritz Services, TriWire Engineering Solutions, U.S. Veterans Administration and Waste Management.
Training programs that will be represented June 7 will include Bidwell Training Center, Builders’ Guild of Western Pennsylvania, Community College of Allegheny County, IUOE Local 95, Literacy Pittsburgh, New Century Careers and Public Allies Pittsburgh.
“Jump Start Your Job Search” is sponsored in part by Neighborhood Allies, the Pennsylvania Self-Sufficiency Program, Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development and United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, with additional support from Dollar Bank and First Commonwealth Bank.
Mon Valley Initiative is an award-winning, non-profit, regional community development corporation working in Allegheny, Washington and Westmoreland counties to provide career and job search help, community outreach, employer services, financial counseling, homebuyer counseling and real estate development. For more information, visit www.monvalleyinitiative.com or call 412-464-4000 or 724-565-8040.
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