The Baltimore County Office of Workforce Development and the Baltimore Mayor's Office of Employment Development recognize that a well-qualified, stable workforce forms the foundation of a strong regional business community. The two agencies partnered in September 2007 to honor five area employers for their innovative recruitment and retention initiatives at an inaugural Awards Breakfast. Honored employers participated in the newly minted Baltimore Regional Employer Institute beginning in January of 2008, during which they each provided a "How To" primer to other local business leaders designed to present and explain their initiative.

The highly praised Baltimore Regional Employer Institute continued for a second year in September of 2008, where six local employers were honored at the second Awards Breakfast. Following the model established during the first year's Institute program, each employer will offer a forum beginning in January of 2009, to share information on their organization's recruitment or retention initiative. It's a great opportunity for local business leaders to network and learn best practices from their peers! In addition, participants will be provided with support materials for customizing the featured programs to meet their company's unique needs.

There is no fee associated with the Regional Employer Institute forums - a terrific value in our current economy! You are invited to attend one, some, or all of the sessions. Institute forums are offered on a monthly basis from January through May 2009.

Institute forums are two hours per session. They will be run on a monthly basis from January through May 2009. Forums will typically include a catered breakfast or lunch. They will be hosted at the Presenter's facility, followed by a tour of that facility. Space is limited to 30 participants per forum, so early registration is encouraged to save your seat. Institute forum topics and dates are as follows:

Franklin Square Hospital
January 29
Learn how Franklin Square Hospital forged a partnership with the Community College of Baltimore County to build the pipeline of qualified nurses-an occupation currently suffering from severe workforce shortages.

Pevco
February 26
Listen as the leaders from this small, family-owned business describe their program, which has increased employee retention through innovative strategies aimed at building a sense of personal ownership in the company’s success.

Johns Hopkins Hospital - Project REACH
March 26
Benefit from learning about the comprehensive Project Reach model used at Hopkins, which trains and promotes employees from within the organization to move up the healthcare career ladder.

JHU Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Adolescent Health
April 23
Learn how private and public partners came together to sponsor numerous coordinated activities designed to promote healthcare careers to city youth – an endeavor which will surely help grow the pipeline of qualified healthcare workers across a range of discipline areas.

Dietrich Industries
April 30
Get specifics on how Dietrich has leveraged public programs to develop a strong staff that includes ex-offenders who make an important contribution to the company’s success.

University of Maryland Medical Center
May 28
Hear about UMMC’s Career Development Services Program, which creates career advancement opportunities for incumbent employees; provides employment for unemployed and underemployed in the community; and introduces youth to careers in healthcare.