CLEVELAND — Cuyahoga County announced Friday that it will hold virtual job fairs to help those residents who lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Today, with the need to stay at home and with social distancing job fairs in physical locations just won't work. But the good news is that we have a solution, virtual job fairs," said Cuyahoga County executive Armond Budish.
Budish said the county will be teaming up places like the Mandel Foundation to open doors that have been closed for a few months.
"There’s so many individuals who aren’t going to have jobs to go back to,” said Frank Brickner, the interim executive director of OhioMeansJobs Cleveland-Cuyahoga County.
Brickner said his organization will virtually hold the event.
"An individual will be registered, get into a wait room for an employer when it’s their time to interview, they will be admitted, and they will talk to the employer,” he said.
The Cuyahoga County virtual job fair will happen June 15 through June 19. Brickner expects 50 to100 employers to participate.
"We’re taking advantage of the technology and making the best of the situation,” said Brickner.
The same thing will happen in Lake County, just a week later.
"It’s a really great way to social distance, but also get the workforce we need and get the economy back rolling,” said Juliana Petti.
Petti is the executive director of the Alliance for Working Together Foundation, a manufacturing workforce development organization. She said there will be plenty of manufacturing jobs up for grabs during the Lake County Means Jobs Virtual Job Fair.
"The food industry, that has really taken off, you can also see the medical industry and medical supplies—sanitizer, PPE, that kind of stuff,” said Petti.
The Lake County fair will happen from June 22 to 26.
Petti expects there to be around 200 open manufacturing positions offered from about 20 to 30 companies.
Both counties are hoping to not only get their people back to work, but give them something more.
"Now is the right time,” said Brickner. "People are looking for hope, they want to know, 'what’s my next step?'”
The websites for both virtual job fairs are still being perfected, so they are not up yet but you can call to reserve your spot.
To lock in your place for the Cuyahoga County virtual job fair, contact OhioMeansJobs Cleveland-Cuyahoga County at 216-978-1375.
To reserve your spot in Lake County, call OhioMeansJobs Lake County at 440-350-4000 option 3.
