Mayor and Business Leaders Discuss Workforce Issues

At the March quarterly meeting of the Baltimore Workforce Investment Board (BWIB), members had the
opportunity to engage in a dialogue with Baltimore City’s new Mayor, the Honorable Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. The meeting was held at the St. Ambrose Center in Park Heights, where Baltimore City residents are being trained in culinary arts with funding provided by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). In addition to hearing an overview of the recent work of the board, the Mayor offered her perspectives on a variety of topics related to the field of workforce development.

Mayor Rawlings-Blake began her formal remarks by noting that, with a greater number of Baltimore residents now looking for employment, the city must continue to provide funding for job training. She commended the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED) and the BWIB for their efforts in rolling out a series of ARRA-funded job training programs, like the one at St. Ambrose Center. This diverse menu of training options will enroll more than 300 Baltimore job seekers.

While many sectors of our economy have been experiencing downsizing and layoffs, Mayor Rawlings-Blake reminded the BWIB membership that there are some important opportunities on the horizon that will
ultimately help to revitalize Baltimore’s main streets. Some of these include: job opportunities associated with a new city-located slots venue, the recently-announced public/private partnership at the Port of Baltimore, the Federal Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, and the planned 25th Street Station retail complex.

“As a board, you must be innovative enough to be able to meet the needs of industries experiencing financial challenges,” Mayor Rawlings-Blake remarked. “At the same time you must work to help other local businesses recruit and train capable Baltimore residents for these attractive job opportunities.”

After Mayor Rawlings-Blake’s remarks, BWIB members gave updates on current board initiatives. Members of the Baltimore Green Jobs Coalition offered a review of the unfolding efforts of this group. Formed in June 2009, the coalition has been charged with examining the current and projected green labor market, identifying the needs of businesses, developing training programs, and working to move the city’s unemployed and under-employed into jobs in this emerging industry.

Click here to download PDF version of MOED's latest
Workforce News Update.