ST. LOUIS — The coalition of St. Louis area universities and businesses formed to address racial and economic inequities in the region is holding a career exposition and hiring event Friday.
Nearly 200 job seekers had registered for the online event as of Thursday afternoon, said Stefani Weeden-Smith, director of the St. Louis Anchor Action Network. Most of them live in the area that the group is focused on – the 22 ZIP codes in St. Louis city and St. Louis County where communities are majority Black and have 20% or higher poverty rates.
The network, which began operations last year, has 18 members. Ten of them are taking part in the job fair to fill 70 jobs, including entry-level and remote positions. Employers taking part include BJC HealthCare, SSM Health, St. Louis Community College, Washington University and financial services giant Edward Jones.
"This is one way we're moving from the planning to the action stage," Weeden-Smith said.
Friday's event, which is being held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is the network’s second foray into helping its member increase the share of Black, Hispanic and Latino employees in their workforces.
From late last year into mid-January, the network worked with nonprofit and workforce development groups to try to connect the network’s members with residents in the targeted 22 ZIP codes looking for jobs. Weeden-Smith said she didn't have a figure on the number of people hired.
Among the lessons learned is that an online platform makes it easier for employers, Weeden-Smith said. Brazen, based in Arlington, Virginia, offered access to its virtual hiring event platform for Friday’s job fair at a discount, enabling employers to chat with job seekers about job openings and career opportunities, she added.
The network plans to hold additional hiring events that are virtual or a mix of in-person and online, she said.
Read more of the story on the St. Louis Business Journal website.
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