You have heard and seen us talking about the second annual Wake County Hospitality Job Fair, which happened last Tues., March 5, 2019. Over 55 employers were on hand to talk with several hundred applicants about job opportunities at their businesses.

We are sharing some photos from the Fair below, but first, here are some points to ponder related to the hospitality workforce in Wake County:

• As the Destination Strategic Plan pointed out, with the lightning-fast growth of the hospitality sector in Wake County, one of the greatest challenges lying ahead of us may be the finding and nurturing of employees for the jobs created by industry growth.
• Over time, GRCVB will be also initiating conversations about additional training opportunities (e.g., Wake Technical Community College's hospitality program) that would take employees from raw beginners to seasoned professionals and help them grow up into the next level of professional development. We want potential employees to understand that jobs in the hospitality sector can just be the beginning of a lifelong career path.
• We are also thinking about how our destination brand (passionate-minded entrepreneurs), as well as innovators through the People-First Tourism program, can create their own opportunities for employment and livelihood in the tourism sector in Wake County.

Those conversations will continue, but in the meantime, thank you to everyone who participated in the Job Fair or supported it by sharing the message. We hope the result is a new class of workers all across the county who will help to make visitors to Raleigh, N.C., feel at home.

Photos by Keenan Hairston