Library Immigrant Job Fair draws diverse group of candidates

Life-long New Yorkers and newer arrivals alike from all over Brooklyn streamed through Sunset Park Library’s multipurpose rooms for an immigrant job fair last week.

“It took a little bit of trouble to get here,” said job seeker and nursing student Kennia of her hour-plus commute from Canarsie, “but I think it was definitely worth the trip because I have a lot of resources on hand now.”

The library hosted 15 vendors, about half employers and half resource groups. Services included training and job search help, legal aid, résumé and interview prep, English and citizenship classes, disability accommodations, worker rights and safety training.

The library had interpreters in Arabic, Cantonese, French, Fuzhounese, Haitian Creole, Kaqchikel, K’iche’, Mam, Mandarin and Russian.

The goal of the event was to provide opportunities for economic prosperity and development for as many people as possible, according to Ryan Dugan, Brooklyn Public Library’s Immigrant Job Support Specialist.

"Whether you're an immigrant or not, finding a job is always difficult regardless of your situation," said Dugan. "So we just want to make sure that those services for employment and overall workforce development are provided to everyone."

The fair served about 200 job seekers, including Leo, a 35-year-old Chinese-born Sunset Park resident returning to the workforce after completing his GED.

"I'm open for anything," said Leo. "I just want to look for opportunities."

Hot Bread Kitchen offered free culinary training based at Chelsea Market. Brooklyn Workforce Innovations promoted its Brooklyn Networks program that trains and credentials low-voltage cable installers.

Workers Justice Project, which organizes immigrant workers and has a Sunset Park office dedicated to construction workers’ rights, answered questions about worker rights and their hiring hall, a union-run system that matches workers with short-term jobs. They also offer health and safety training, but there is currently a long waitlist for those classes.

“Because we're a nonprofit organization, we have a limited capacity,” said Armary Perez, director of WJP’s construction division. “We're more than happy to receive donor contributions to open more services for our community.”

UPROSE, a longtime Sunset Park climate justice group, shared community resources and informed seekers about their Just Transition Center, which connects residents with careers in solar installation, offshore wind and urban agriculture.

The Center for Family Life, a Sunset Park social services organization offering a wide range of free programs, was there to educate visitors about their Adult Employment Program, which has helped hundreds of residents find gainful employment. New challenges for immigrant workers have arisen as the federal administration has made policy and processing changes that left many with expired or uncertain work permits.

“A lot of the people who came to us for help had work authorization and then it was taken away,” said Laura Cohen, CFL job developer and employment counselor. “Different immigration statuses have changed under the new administration and that has been really challenging. A lot of people are scared, understandably.”

AHRC NYC’s Employment and Business Services team educated visitors about support for job seekers with disabilities and their Advance & Earn training program for youth ages 17–24. The 20-week program provides a pathway to a career in disability services.

“It’s a great way to get the youth out of the same mundane roles that they usually run into—fast food, retail, going to the mall, Amazon warehouses and things like that,” said Joshua Green, the program enrollment specialist. “This is an opportunity where you can come in and have little to no experience and still be able to grow.”

NYU Langone collected résumés and spoke with job seekers, letting them know about job openings available throughout its New York City locations.

“We're hiring across all categories, different departments, and just getting the word out to people to make sure that they know that we stand behind immigrants and we support them,” said Fahim Rahman, a project manager at Langone’s human resources workforce development department.

The fair also connected visitors to NYC’s Individual Training Grants through Workforce1. ITGs can pay for tuition, registration, testing fees and book costs for training in fields such as healthcare, telecommunications, information technology, security and transportation. Applicants must be at least 18, enroll with Workforce1, earn less than $64,000 a year and have a GED or high school diploma.

Sunset Park resident Lucrecia Gómez was invited to the event by a friend. Her previous work experience was at a granola company, but she left to raise her children. Now she’s looking to return to the workforce and “this is something to have information about all the jobs that are being offered,” she said.

Another local, Jennifer, left her job in social work and is currently unemployed. She’s interested in pursuing a career in healthcare and saw the job fair as an opportunity to learn more about her options.

“They were offering a wide range of resources,” said Jennifer. “I'm happy I came.”