Fort Bend County Judge KP George declared Thursday, March 31, as “Nick Natario” Day in Fort Bend, to honor the ABC-13 journalist for his contribution to the community through the “Who’s Hiring” webcast.
Rosenberg resident Natario and Workforce Solutions’ Michelle Castrow (also known as The Jobs Lady) launched the weekly virtual job fair in April 2020, in the immediate aftermath of the lockdown.
“Nick Natario and Workforce Solutions have been working together for the last few years to help people recover from the pandemic,” said Castrow. “Remember we had huge job losses, in Fort Bend County alone over 40,000 people lost jobs in March and April of 2020. So, we started working together to get people back to work.”
More than 357 residents in the Texas Gulf Coast area have found better jobs through this webcast, Workforce Solutions reported. In addition, 5,105 people have applied for jobs and 890 have received interviews.
“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic Fort Bend County businesses and residents faced dark economic times,” said George. “Nick Natario used his platform to help people across the Greater Houston Area rebound from the massive layoffs and economic uncertainty. I want to thank Nick for putting the needs and wellbeing of others at the forefront by partnering with Workforce Solutions to provide employment opportunities for people in need.”
Castrow dismissed the narrative that people did not want to work. This webcast helped people make strategic connections and learn about new job opportunities, she said.
While people were losing jobs, there were also new jobs being created by the big surge in deliveries and curbside pickups, which opened many positions along the supply chain, Castrow said. People were still consuming the same goods and services in different ways.
Castrow reiterated Workforce Solution’s pledge to help anyone who asks for help, asserting that there were jobs available for individuals at all stages of their career.
“People often reach out to us because they need an objective opinion on their résumé,” she said. “That’s something that we are experts at doing because we see we work with companies who are screening candidates. We can help people practice for interviews. And all these things, again, are at no cost. Also, if you are interested in changing careers, Workforce Solutions can help you understand where the good jobs are, what training is required, we can help you identify the trends in the education opportunities, and we can even help you navigate how you’re going to pay for it in terms of looking for and applying for scholarships to help you accomplish those career goals.”
Nick Natario and Michelle Castrow’s webcast streams live each Thursday on the ABC-13 connected app and www.abc13.com.
juhi.varma@hcnonline.com
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