A new D.C.-area initiative links displaced federal workers across the region with job opportunities, career coaching and retraining services.<\/p>\n
A new D.C.-area initiative links displaced federal workers across the region with job opportunities, career coaching and even retraining services.<\/p>\n
The platform, Talent Capital. AI<\/a>, is housed at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and COG Chair Rodney Lusk called the initiative \u201ca new framework for workforce resilience and it\u2019s powered by AI but grounded in human resource and support.\u201d<\/p>\n It was launched on Wednesday, the first day of the federal government shutdown, which Maryland Labor Secretary Portia Wu made note of during a news conference.<\/p>\n As a self-described \u201cformer fed,\u201d Wu told the crowd, \u201cIn Maryland, we have a huge number of federal workers and federal contractors who are being impacted.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe want opportunity and growth. That is what federal workers and contractors want, that\u2019s what every single person in this room wants,\u201d Wu added.<\/p>\n Kathleen Borgueta, a former federal worker from the now-shuttered U.S. Agency for International Development, shared her own story.<\/p>\n \u201cJust 11 weeks after delivering my first born, I was blindsided by the dismantling of USAID. I\u2019ll never forget receiving my termination letter as I sat in my postpartum support group,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She went on to create Pivoting Parents<\/a>, a group to help other caregivers and former federal workers in the same situation.<\/p>\n Now, with the government shutdown and the possibility of more federal job cuts by President Donald Trump\u2019s administration, Borgueta said, \u201cThis is a dire challenge, but also an enormous opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser addressed federal workers directly.<\/p>\n \u201cAll you did was go to work every day, do what you were supposed to do, and none of this, none of this is your fault,\u201d Bowser said.<\/p>\n She noted the number of highly qualified former federal workers seeking employment and urged them to \u201cstay here, we\u2019re bringing more jobs right to you.\u201d<\/p>\n Victor Hoskins, president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, commiserated with former federal workers who find themselves struggling to pay their bills.<\/p>\n \u201cIt breaks my heart to think about people who\u2019ve lost their jobs and have to pay their bills tomorrow and don\u2019t have enough money,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He noted that nearly one-third of residents in the D.C. region are food insecure.<\/p>\n \u201cI want all those government workers out there that lost their jobs \u2014 we see you. We see you and we\u2019re going to make a difference in your life,\u201d Hoskins said.<\/p>\n Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a9 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.<\/p>\n