Employ Baltimore staff completes training 
to better support businesses in meeting workforce needs 

Baltimore, MD – On February 13, 2003, Karen Sitnick, director of the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED), and Dr. Sylvester McKay, president of Baltimore City Community College (BCCC), joined with colleagues to honor 10 staff members of MOED’s Employ Baltimore division for completing a six-month professional development program. The training began in July 2002 and was comprised of eight modules, focusing on current practices and trends in business, marketing, management, business communications, personal selling, and public relations.

“Employ Baltimore provides customized workforce solutions to Baltimore area employers,” says Terry Jenifer-Boone, the division’s general manager. “BCCC worked with us to provide a customized professional development program for our workers. By completing a training program specifically designed for them by BCCC, Employ Baltimore team members are now even better equipped to support businesses in hiring qualified city residents. In recognition of their upgraded skills, these team members, formerly known as workforce development specialists, will be known by a new title – business services representatives.”

The ten new business services representatives include Jay Brown, Tiera Dorsey, Gary Figueroa, Cynthia Jefferson, Caryl Kaufman, Sharon Matthews, Fidelis Nyivih, Katrina Robinson, Les Saunders and Scott Yeager.

Employ Baltimore offers businesses outreach and recruitment, pre-screening, assessment and testing services, human resources support, soft skills development, and customized training, an employer-driven program by which MOED funds up to 50% of the training budget for new hires. Employ Baltimore is a service of the Baltimore Workforce Investment Board, the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development and multiple workforce partners.

Through Employ Baltimore and its other programs, MOED coordinates and directs workforce development initiatives responsive to the needs of Baltimore City employers and job seekers. During its last fiscal year, MOED served 15,237 city residents through its One-Stop Career Centers, placed 6,055 city residents (including more than 500 welfare recipients) in jobs with an average hourly wage of $8.84, assisted 584 employers in recruiting workers, placed 5,502 city teens in summer jobs, and opened five Digital Learning Labs to increase access to technology.

To obtain Employ Baltimore services, employers should call 410-396-WORK (9675) or visit www.oedworks.com.