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Right now, it’s federal employees who work in the health and sciences sector who are bracing for cuts that could have them looking for new jobs at a time when they weren’t necessarily expecting. If that’s the case, the biosciences sector in the region hopes to take advantage of the opportunity.
A job fair held at Montgomery College’s Germantown campus is where several companies gathered in the hopes of filling openings with talented federal scientists either laid off or in limbo.
About 120 were able to register to attend, but the waiting list was approaching 200.
“I think it’s a ‘their losses are our gain,’” said Nick Droste, who works out of a Bora Pharmaceuticals office in Baltimore, Maryland.
Droste was referring to government agencies being told to get rid of workers as the ones losing out. He said some of the roles they’ve been trying to hire for can be difficult to fill, but was optimistic the job fair held in Germantown would make it easier.
“I think it’s sad that it needs to be in these circumstances,” he said. “But I think we, the biotech community absolutely needs people of that caliber and with that integrity, with that mindset.”
Similarly, Danielle Gabrish, of Gaithersburg-based AstraZeneca, was there to talk about a variety of science-focused jobs.
“We’re constantly evolving in this landscape, and we have plenty of opportunities out there for people,” she said.
The event was attended by federal employees and contractors, including some on paid administrative leave, and some who were proactively checking out opportunities amid concerns the ax was going to fall on them.
“I was very nervous in the last two months about what my fate would be,” said one worker who is still employed with more than 30 years of federal experience. But after two anxiety-filled months, “I feel better today, and it’s like a sense in my heart that I feel like something good is going to come out of this fair today.”
In an ideal world, they would stay doing what they have been for another 10 years or so until retirement.
“I have a lot of work left in me, and I enjoy science,” they said. “I love doing what I do so it is a little bit scary, but I feel very hopeful — a lot hopeful today.”
The job fair was set up by Mark Nardone, the director of Bio-Trac.
“This is a reflection of the chaos that’s happening over at the government agencies,” he said. “It’s going to have an impact on sciences. You have this intellectual talent, this skill set that all of a sudden has become available, and companies are looking at that.”
He said companies in other countries are hoping to lure some of the same employees moving through the job fair Monday.
“You’ve made a difference,” Nardone said of the federal scientists looking for something new.
A government neuroscientist admitted they felt more appreciated walking through the job fair.
“It does give us some hope that there are positions for us out there,” they said. “I think it’s kind of hard because a lot of us are all in the job market at the same time.”
“Everybody has very qualified experiences, and we’re all probably looking at very similar jobs, too, in the same area,” they added. “I just hope that we continue to keep having these job fairs. I think it’s important.”
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