Women in the workforce event
After years of helping women find the clothes they need to pursue a career, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit is teaming up with other area agencies to provide an opportunity fair to people in the Butler area.
The opportunity fair is the product of Dress for Success Pittsburgh administrators, who came up with the idea to provide job coaching and networking to women in Butler County after meeting with nonprofits with similar women-focused missions. Liz Mims, director of community engagement for Dress for Success Pittsburgh, said the opportunity fair aims to offer wraparound services to women in the area seeking jobs and careers.
“It was clear that transportation, time, child care were the biggest barriers,” Mims said of the meeting the opportunity fair was born from. “Those nonprofits come to the opportunity fair with the goal of being physically there to help. That's where EmployHer was formed.”
The EmployHER Pittsburgh — Butler County Opportunity Fair takes place from noon until 6 p.m. June 24, at Butler County Community College, 107 College Drive, Butler. Not only is the event free to attend, Mims said the agencies collaborating on the event are eliminating barriers to attend the event by offering transportation to the campus and child care on site for the working parents out there. People who register ahead of time for the event will be asked if they need transportation to it, which Mims said will be coordinated through the Alliance for Nonprofit Resources.
The event will feature 10 area companies that are hiring; 20 nonprofit resources; wardrobe, hair and makeup support; complimentary professional head shots; resume workshops; and child care and lunch will be provided.
According to Mims, the planners are bringing all these resources together in one place because people seeking better jobs or careers may be limited in the amount of time they can dedicate to the job hunt. This event will help those people cross out everything on their to-do list in six hours or less.
“It's overwhelming to try to figure out where to get help,” Mims said. “Even if it's just for six hours, you may not have been able to talk to anyone about it before.”
Dress for Success is collaborating with Pennsylvania Women Work to make the opportunity fair happen. Pennsylvania Women Work is a nonprofit that empowers job-seekers with the skills they need to achieve their career goals.
Abby Swalga, marketing and communications director for Pennsylvania Women Work, said the agency has been in Allegheny County for years. It has also served Butler County residents, mainly through virtual programs. She said the agency will be present at the opportunity fair to help connect people with job coaches who will guide clients through steps to reach their goals over a period of six months or more.
According to Swalga, career coaching is long-term, so people at the opportunity fair would mainly use the event to connect with someone who can start them on the process.
“The reason why we wouldn't want to offer career coaching on the spot is because we do a lot of coaching,” Swalga said. “People sign up for career coaching, which is really, the first step is meeting with (a) career coach. We can hear what's going on. What do you need support with?”
Swalga added that Pennsylvania Women Work operates throughout the state, and is able to help people in a variety of situations. The opportunity fair will introduce clients to the organization, let them share their career and personal goals with a career coach and create a plan to pursue those goals over the coming months, Swalga said.
“Our clientele are all over the place experiencing different things,” she said. “Some folks are coming back into the workforce after being a stay-at-home mom. Maybe a refugee or immigrant who is trying to navigate the American workplace.”
Additionally, the program can help people who have been in prison or convicted of crime.
“We have a focus on people in recovery or folks who are coming back after incarceration,” Swalga said. “People looking to advance in their careers and really want to get a promotion, how they can negotiate a higher salary and move up and apply for leadership.”
Mims said pairing Dress for Success with Pennsylvania Women Work means attendees of their opportunity fair will have several resources for career advancement at their fingertips — resources which will follow them through their plan.
“Six months after the opportunity fair, we stay in touch,” Mims said. “We will email them things like here is a food bank, a back to school supply event. We will offer them online support sessions to keep them connected.”
Swalga said people who are unable to attend the EmployHER fair can access resources through Pennsylvania Women Work through its website, which plays host to virtual workshops and webinars for group sessions.
Mims said that while there has been demand for an event like the EmployHER fair, the success of this inaugural attempt could determine if Dress for Success and the other planning agencies host it again.
Dress for Success Pittsburgh earned the Nonprofit Excellence award from the Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber at a gala May 8, where Mims said it takes bravery for the women to come to the nonprofit for help.
Mims added that she expects there to be at least some interest in the event, because the stigma of people needing help finding a job or career has shrunk over the past few years.
“Normalizing the need for support, I have seen a beautiful change in that because now people can share what they need to go through,” Mims said. “It's becoming less stigmatized and people are more open in needing help.
“I tell people we don’t do nonprofit work because it feels good. We do it because it is right and it has to be done.”
EmployHER Pittsburgh — Butler County Opportunity Fair takes place from noon to 6 p.m. June 24 at 107 College Drive. There will be a shuttle to and from BC3’s campus.
For more information on the EmployHER opportunity fair, visit its event website on Eventbrite.com.
