There will be plenty of professional matchmaking opportunities on April 10 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the Grange Hall. That evening, approximately 30 organizations and businesses will welcome individuals seeking jobs and volunteer positions at the inaugural Martha’s Vineyard Career and Networking Night. This event marks a first-time collaboration between the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, ACE MV, M.V. Nonprofit Collaborative (MVNC), and Vineyard Preservation Trust, in partnership with Slough Farm. In addition to a traditional job fair with tables with representatives from across the Vineyard, there will be a welcoming space for informal networking, complete with live music, drinks, and light refreshments.
Alexandra Bullen Coutts, executive director of ACE MV, describes the event’s origins. “ACE has long wanted to partner with the Chamber of Commerce on events and outreach, given that we both serve so many in the business community. Likewise, we had long talked with Jackie [Friedman, executive director of the MVNC] about doing something that would focus on both volunteering and workforce development.” Putting their heads together, everyone realized that a career fair would hit all their target groups. Coutts explains, “We were aware of the job fair the high school does every spring, and thought, Wouldn’t it be great if we did something like that for the rest of the Island community? It is nice to team up and have a little bit of everybody’s expertise in this process.”
Erica Ashton, executive director of the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, comments, “We thought the career fair would bridge the gap between job seekers and businesses on the Island to help fill year-round and seasonal positions. I think all of us working together is the best of all worlds, because we are providing opportunities in a collective way.”
Coutts is also eager about ACE’s ability to bring awareness to the educational pathways it offers related to some of the employment opportunities: “We are excited to think about which educational partners we can bring in who might be able to support the job seekers. We will also introduce some new partnerships, such as one with the North Bennet Street School, an incredible trade school in Boston with historical trades that are off the beaten path, like locksmithing, that people might be interested in learning about.”
Friedman of MVNC reiterates the value of the collaboration: “We can build on top of one another’s experience and network. It creates something for everyone. Someone looking for a job may not realize the opportunities to volunteer, or the training programs that would make a job more accessible. Being able to meet with people face-to-face and build those relationships, especially in the off-season, I think, is a great thing we can bring to the community.”
To register for the free event, visit bit.ly/MVCC_JobVolNetworkNight.
