Baltimore is getting its first casino, and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is hoping that the 1700 new jobs it will bring will be filled by Baltimoreans. As she said, “We want to give our Baltimore City residents an edge when we’re creating these kinds of opportunities.  I know that’s what the council president wants.  I know that’s what I want and we’re going to work to make sure we give that edge to our residents.”

Horseshoe Casino pledged to send recruiters into the 14 city districts to hire locals. As General Manager Chad Barnhill said, “As Charm City’s casino, it’s imperative that we have proud Baltimore residents that represent our casino. We’re going to leave no stone unturned.  We’re going to go out to these neighborhoods.  We’re going to meet residents.  We’re going to personally communicate with them about the opportunities at hand.”

The casino will be holding a series of two-day, six-hour training sessions for potential applicants. 12000 people have already signed up on the casino’s website for the potential jobs at www.horseshoebalitmore.com. At this site there is also a complete schedule of neighborhood recruitment events.

The next training session will be on February 6-7 at the Northwest Career Center from 9-12 am.

As Mayor Rawlings-Blake said, “The strong public-private partnership between the City and Horseshoe has resulted in a comprehensive recruitment strategy that couldn’t have come at a better time, as many families are struggling to find job opportunities.”

As Barnhill said in a statement, “We’re going to be out in the city’s neighborhoods, meeting residents and informing them about how they can apply for positions that match their skills. Using a mix of modern technology and old-fashioned grass roots tactics, we intend to recruit a Horseshoe workforce that represents the very best that the City of Baltimore has to offer.”