Business Education Series

Leveraging Skilled Immigrant Talent for Shared Success | Dismantling Barriers to Accessing, Retaining and Supporting Talent

December 4 | 9:00am - 1:00pm, 200 Monroe Avenue, Suite One, Frederick, Maryland 21701

Frederick County Workforce Services is proud to present "Leveraging Skilled Immigrant Talent for Shared Success", part of the Business Education Series.

Did you know that Maryland is home to a thriving community of skilled immigrants with legal work permits, eager to contribute their expertise to local businesses? From former office managers and international scientists to healthcare professionals, educators, marketing specialists, and logistics managers—the talent pool is diverse and deep. However, these highly qualified individuals often face significant barriers when job searching locally, primarily because their education and work experience were acquired abroad.

Join us as we explore how to unlock the potential of this valuable talent pool right here in Frederick County. Whether you're a business owner, HR representative, or hiring manager, this session is designed to help you connect with skilled immigrants and effectively integrate them into your workforce.

Topics Include:

• The benefits of connecting skilled immigrants with local businesses.

• How to verify credentials obtained in other countries.

• Practical strategies for recruiting, interviewing, and onboarding international talent.

• Navigating cultural differences in the workplace.

• Key communication strategies to build understanding, trust, and collaboration within diverse teams.

About the Trainer

Julie Yoder
Founder and Lead English Coach
English With Purpose

English With Purpose develops and delivers customized trainings and workshops that focus on the skilled immigrant population—people who were educated in their home countries and had a professional career prior to immigrating to the US. We believe the skilled immigrant workforce is a solution to regional labor shortages in professional fields and work to raise awareness about eliminating barriers to hiring and best utilizing international talent.

Accessing the Skilled Immigrant Workforce

Join Us for this Two-Part Business Education Series

June 20 and June 27 | 200 Monroe Avenue, Suite One, Frederick, Maryland 21701

Maryland has a robust population of skilled immigrants with legal work permits eager to continue their careers in the U.S., and many of them are here in Frederick County. Former office managers, international scientists and researchers, healthcare professionals, educators, marketing specialists, logistics and supply chain managers - the list goes on. However, these potential high-quality employees often encounter barriers when networking and job searching locally since they were educated in their home countries and gained their experience abroad. 

Thursday, June 20, 9:00am to 11:00am

The Skilled Immigrant Workforce in Frederick County: Dismantling Barriers to Accessing Talent

In part one, we will learn more about the skilled immigrant workforce in our community and explore the benefits of connecting these job seekers with the right local businesses. You will learn practical approaches for connecting with, interviewing, and onboarding potential new employees.

and

Thursday, June 27, 9:00am to 12:00pm

Enhanced Communication in Multilingual and Multicultural Teams to Maximize Inclusivity and Productivity

In part two, we will deepen our understanding of cultural differences in a diverse workplace and learn some basic strategies for clearer communication, understanding, and deepening trust amongst teams. Both native English speakers and multilingual English learners will walk away with tools and resources they can immediately implement at work for enhanced communication - and none require mastering a second language.

Recovery is Good Business

May 7 | 8:30am - 11:30am, 200 Monroe Avenue, Suite One, Frederick, Maryland 21701

Empower Your Business with Strategies for Cost Savings and Foster a Supportive, Inclusive Culture. Frederick County Workforce Services, in partnership with The LHIP Mental Health Workgroup of the Coalition for a Healthier Frederick County, is excited to present Recovery is Good Business, a FREE workshop for small Frederick County Businesses.

Improving mental health and supporting those with substance use disorders are key to a healthier workplace. About 16.2 million workers face serious mental health challenges, and 20.3 million people deal with substance use issues, with most of them working. These issues can lead to financial losses for companies due to increased healthcare expenses and greater absenteeism. By helping employees with these issues, companies can save money and have happier, more productive teams.

Join our interactive workshop to transform your workplace into a recovery-friendly environment! Discover the essentials of hiring and supporting staff navigating mental health and substance use recovery.

Dive into key topics:

• Business Analysis: Your organization’s recovery-friendly workplace assessment score & estimated yearly Mental Health and SUD costs.

• Awareness & Education: Anti-Stima in the Workplace from On Our Own of Maryland, and Narcan training from Frederick County Health Department

• Recovery Resources: Recovery is Good Business resource guide & confidential Peer to Peer support for your employees

• Recovery Friendly Workplace Toolkit: Sample employee surveys, business statements, business policies, and ready-to-display posters

Space is limited so secure you seat today for this important workshop! All participants will earn a Recovery is Good Business Partner certificate.

Hiring Managers from Within

How to build leaders, plan for succession, and motivate workers to advance

May 24, 2023

Your employees are your greatest asset. Hiring from within not only keeps institutional knowledge within your organization but it also contributes positively to culture. Every organization needs to ensure a system is in place to recognize and reward talent, even when opportunities aren’t always available. How do you keep your employees committed to learning and growth? We’ll take a look at creating a culture of learning and identify processes are in place to support the management of emerging leaders.

Through this course, you will:

• Establish a culture of constant learning and development

• Techniques for employee development no matter the budget

• Develop performance reviews that actually work

• How to create and maintain a 9 box grid

• Developing a coaching, not managing mentality

Frederick County employers continue to struggle to meet the changing demands of employees and recruits following the pandemic. This workshop is designed to equip small businesses to build leaders from within through effective training, retention, succession planning, and outreach strategies.

Building a Workplace Culture to Attract and Retain Employees

April 4, 2023

If you aren’t intentional about creating a good culture, the work environment will create it for you. Culture may be the new “it” word. As it should be. “It” is what drives your decision making, “it” is what empowers your employees, “it” is what determines where your focus is, and “it” is an integral part of your success internally and externally. If you use a tree to provide a visual of where culture comes into play in an organization, it would be the trunk. The Vision, Mission, and Values are the roots. Culture grows from the roots and the direction of the organization (branches) are fed and nourished by the culture.

The pandemic has caused a shift in the values and systems that people look for in an employer. This workshop is designed to equip small business representatives with the tools they need to develop a sustainable workplace culture that will attract and retain employees, enabling their business to recover and thrive following the pandemic.

HR Department of One

March 2023

Do you work as the sole individual responsible for all HR functions of your organization? The tasks associated with compliance, operations, business, and people can be overwhelming if not prioritized. In this session, we will work to assess current operations and build a roadmap to success, ensuring alignment of HR and organizational goals. We will also work to ensure strategies and efficiencies are in place to enhance the internal experience for colleagues.

Employee Handbook Updates for 2023

February 2023

With the elections behind us and new legislation getting ready to take effect, it’s an ideal time to update your Employee Handbook! Continue on the path to economic recovery in this FREE workshop for Frederick County businesses that were affected by the pandemic.

Join us as we hear from Jeremy S. Scholtes and Elisabeth Hall on the important legislation as well as the trends in policy that you can adopt to create a safe, productive, and attractive environment for your employees. This workshop will equip your business with the knowledge you need to attract and retain workers.

Recruitment with AI

December 2022

Are you using an HR System for recruiting that leaves you feeling confused as to why the right candidates aren't getting through? These Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) can be great for helping businesses organize, post, and recruit for open positions, but without understanding how they screen candidates, you may be left with only a few resumes making it through to your desk.

In this free virtual course Recruiting with AI, you will learn how to set up an ATS to work for you and not against you. You will get an overview of how ATSs work, how to write a job description that effectively screens candidates and get an overview of some of the most popular systems available.

Recovery is Good Business!

October 2022

It's always a great time to discover that RECOVERY IS GOOD BUSINESS! According to the National Safety Council, about 16% of employees live with a substance use disorder (SUD). A recent study revealed that close to one-third of individuals with SUD reported increased alcohol consumption (31%) and other drug use (29%) during the COVID pandemic. Providing resources to assist workers with their SUD is a good business investment.

Elevating Performance through Trauma-Informed Practices

August 2022

Do you have a high turnover rate in your business? Have you noticed employees who seem to be out sick often? Do you get the overall sense that your employees are not satisfied with their jobs, and you cannot figure out a reason why? Most individuals have experienced some form of trauma in their lifetime which can impact their job performance.

Trauma-informed practices help businesses create a space where people feel safe and empowered, no matter their lived experience, to grow and thrive at work. We at Trauma Responsive Frederick believe in the power of sharing stories and collaborating with one another is the most successful way to overcome challenges we all face, especially during COVID.

Recruitment for the Small Business

This course will help managers deal with the challenges of attracting and recruiting new employees. Topics include understanding the challenges of the current labor market, reviewing ways to develop a recruitment strategy and increasing recruitment effectiveness.

Building the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Foundation

Organizations continue to recognize the need and responsibility to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces. It is a journey that begins with building a strong foundation in understanding the complicated elements of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), pushing the level of self-awareness and recognizing the impact individual thoughts, behaviors and actions have on the total organization. In this workshop, a safe, respectful space is created to allow participants to self-explore, actively listen, and ask questions to build tools that deepen the capacity and sustainability for the delicate DEI journey ahead.