WASHINGTON — D.C. residents looking for a job will have the inside edge at a job fair for the new Southwest Waterfront development.
A career fair for thousands of jobs at The Wharf will be held at Arena Stage (1101 Sixth St. SW) on Aug. 10 from 9 a.m. to noon.
It is specifically for District residents.
“We’ve made a significant investment as a city in The Wharf project with taxpayer dollars, so I believe we need to get a return on that investment by making sure that District residents have the opportunity to work at the projects that we invest in,” said At-Large D.C. Councilmember Elissa Silverman.
Silverman is co-hosting the career fair, along with Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen, Arena Stage, the D.C. Department of Employment Services and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development.
Phase 1 of The Wharf, developed by a partnership between PN Hoffman and Madison Marquette, will hold a grand opening Oct. 12.
The first phase includes more than 35 operators, managers and retailers, many of whom are confirmed to participate in the free career fair.
“There are a lot of jobs,” Silverman said. “The Wharf is opening three hotels; there is retail; the 9:30 Club folks are going to have an entertainment venue there; and there’s also residential buildings.”
In addition to restaurants, hotels, office buildings, condos, apartments and music venues, there are parking attendant, water taxi, shuttle, public space, cruise boat operator and marina jobs to fill. Jobs available at The Wharf run the gamut from entry-level positions to highly skilled professions.
The Wharf will eventually create more than 5,800 permanent jobs by the time Phase 2 is complete. Phase 2 is slated to get underway in 2018.
In addition to on-site interviews, a number of community-based training and service providers will work with job-seekers on job training and professional development skills to create job-ready candidates.
Arena Stage has partnered with more than 100 organizations over the past four years on similar career fairs in the District.
There is more information on the career fair at Arena Stage’s website.
