Job Center Comes to BWI Airport in Md.

Travelers waiting for flights at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport will have a new way of passing the time waiting for a delayed flight: they can apply for a job.

Anne Arundel Workplace Development Corp. plans to open its One Stop Career Center next week at the airport in Linthicum. The center will give job-seekers a central resource to find out about and apply for jobs in the state - especially jobs related to the airport.

"TSA, airlines, hotels ... all those are employers at BWI and our hope is to get them all to post with us," said Andy Moser, president of the non-profit corporation.

"They seem to have a need and it satisfies an issue for them," he said, noting the airport is one of the largest employment centers in the state.

In the past, Workforce Development had difficulty reaching individual employers at the airport or people seeking jobs at the state owned facility.

"A problem with BWI employers is that they often couldn't reach us and we couldn't reach them," said Debbie Klimczyk, a spokesman for the group. "Now we are putting it right at their front door."

When the center opens, computers will be available for job searches. If a job hunter doesn't find a position they are interested in or qualified for they can leave their resume at the center and have it shared with other employers throughout the state, Ms. Klimczyk said.

"One particular network is BWI centered, but there is a statewide network too," she said.

Employers also can use the center to hold job fairs and for recruitment, Mr. Moser said.

Besides going to the center, job-seekers can get information about job opportunities from any Internet connection from the Maryland Workforce Exchange Web site, Mr. Moser said. A new link specifically for BWI-related jobs will be installed on the site after this week.

The career center is located in an old Southwest Airlines ticket desk near Pier C next the American Airlines ticket desk. Visitors do not have to go through a security screening to access the counter. Last week's terrorists threat did not have any influence on the center's opening or restrict visitor access, but there is plenty of security around the site, Ms. Klimczyk said.

"Those are all considered public access areas," she said.

The BWI Business Partnership also will be on hand to help employers and potential employees figure out ways to get to and from work.

"The around-the-clock nature of the airport makes transportation a problem," said Linda Greene, executive director of the BWI Business Partnership.

"There's a number of options and people are not always aware of what may be available to them,"

The Light Rail, MARC Commuter Train, Maryland Transportation Administration and Annapolis bus services and Metrobus out of the Green Line in Greenbelt all go to the airport, Ms. Greene said.

The deadline for the center to open is Aug. 28, and it will run weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with two staff members on hand to help. The center will have at least two computer terminals visitors can use to learn about job options, Mr. Moser said.

Anne Arundel Community College also will lend its hand at the center by providing employers with employee training.

"We can introduce employers to the wide range of training for jobs that we have at the college," said Linda Schulte, community college spokesman. For example, Ms. Schulte said, if an airline's baggage handlers need training in a certain skill, the school can connect the airline with the training they need.

Members of the college's Center for Workforce Solutions will staff the site, Ms. Schulte said.

The center is an agreement between the Maryland Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation and will not charge the workplace development corporation any rent.

"I couldn't afford that, are you kidding? Its a million dollars a year at best," Mr. Moser said.

While rent is free, the program is financed by a combination of federal, state and county grants, Ms. Klimczyk said.

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