|
|
|
|
|
City
begins
to
prepare
thousands
of
Detroiters
for jobs
at new
FCA
plant
• City
hosts
first of
what
will be
more
than 200
Detroit
At Work
Job
Readiness
Fairs to
create a
priority
candidate
list for
jobs at
new FCA
plant
• 15,000
Detroiters
already
registered
for
events
to
become
work
ready,
whether
for FCA
jobs or
other
major
employers
• Job
readiness
effort
now
expanding
beyond
FCA to
other
employers
DETROIT
- The
City of
Detroit
has
begun an
unprecedented
effort
to help
thousands
of
Detroit
residents
become
“job
ready”
for
positions
at the
recently
approved
Fiat
Chrysler
Automobiles
(FCA)
plant on
the
city’s
east
side.
Since
the City
closed
the deal
with
FCA,
more
than
15,000
Detroiters
have
registered
for Job
Readiness
Fairs
being
put on
by the
city’s
workforce
arm,
Detroit
At Work.
As part
of the
City’s
agreement
with
FCA, the
automaker
committed
to
interviewing
Detroit
residents
first
for
every
available
position
for the
lifetime
of the
plant,
after it
fulfills
UAW
requirements
to hire
laid off
autoworkers
and
temporary
workers
at the
plant.
The new
FCA
plant
will
employ
3,850
people
and
another
1,100
jobs
will be
added to
the
Jefferson
North
Assembly
Plant.
To start
building
the list
of
priority
candidates,
made up
of only
Detroit
residents,
the City
has
begun
hosting
the
first of
what
will
more
than 200
Detroit
At Work
Job
Readiness
Fairs
over the
next six
weeks.
The
first
fair was
held
Monday
at
Second
Ebenezer
Baptist
Church
on the
city’s
east
side
where an
estimated
600
prospective
FCA job
candidates
were
screened.
A second
event is
scheduled
at
Second
Ebenezer
on
Tuesday
from 4-8
PM with
up to
800
attendees
expected.
Detroiters
interested
in
attending
an
upcoming
event
must
register
at
www.detroitatwork.com
or at
one of
three
Detroit
At Work
centers
located
around
the
city.
Because
interest
has been
so high,
the City
has now
committed
to
helping
to
prepare
thousands
of its
residents
not only
for jobs
at the
new FCA
plant,
but for
a number
of other
existing
and
potential
new
major
employers.
“As
far as
we know,
no other
city has
ever
undertaken
such an
extensive
effort
to help
its
residents
become
prepared
for
employment
opportunities
on such
a large
scale,”
said
Mayor
Mike
Duggan.
“Detroit
At Work
is
essentially
becoming
Detroit’s
employment
agency
for
major
employers
in the
city.”
As
potential
job
candidates
are
screened,
Detroit
at Work
staff
and
volunteers
will
help
determine
if they
meet the
minimum
requirements
for
hiring
at FCA
and to
be on
the
priority
list of
Detroiters.
Those
requirements
include
proving
Detroit
residency,
being at
least 18
years of
age and
having a
high
school
diploma
or
equivalent.
Candidates
also
will be
asked to
sign a
drug-free
pledge,
since
passing
a drug
test is
another
FCA
hiring
requirement.
Beyond
screening
for
these
basic
requirements,
Detroit
At Work
also
will
provide
attendees
with job
application
review
and math
and
reading
tests,
similar
to what
they
will
experience
through
the FCA
hiring
process
once it
begins
this
fall.
Job
Readiness
effort
now
expands
beyond
FCA
Opportunities
Because
the
number
of
Detroiters
seeking
work at
FCA far
exceeds
the
number
of jobs
available,
the Job
Readiness
fair
process
will
help the
city
build a
database
of
available
workers
that
also can
be
provided
to a
number
of other
major
employers,
such as
automotive
suppliers.
City
officials
see this
process
and
being
transformational
to their
efforts
to get
Detroiters
into
jobs.
“Our
goal is
to build
a
database
of
Detroiters
who are
ready to
work
immediately
at a
number
of
employers,
not only
FCA,”
said
Detroit
Employment
Solutions
Corporation
President
& CEO
Nicole
Sherard-Freeman.
“After
attending
one of
our Job
Readiness
Fairs,
we will
know
down to
the
individual
who is
unemployed
or
underemployed,
if they
are a
veteran
or have
a
criminal
background,
their
educational
level
and
more.
Ultimately
this
process
we have
built
will
help us
to match
these
Detroiters
with
available
job
opportunities
or to
the
resources
they
need to
get
their
GED or
their
criminal
record
expunged,
receive
training
or need
access
to
transportation.”
Opportunities
also
expected
to
expand
Mayor
Duggan
said
that
beyond
the FCA
plant
expansion,
he
expects
thousands
more new
jobs to
come to
the city
to
support
the
plant.
“In
the
coming
months,
we
expect
to be
announcing
a number
of new
logistic
and
supplier
facilities
coming
to
Detroit
specifically
to
support
the FCA
expansion,”
said
Mayor
Duggan.
“We
already
are
hearing
from
some of
them
that
they
want to
be able
to pull
from a
list of
job
ready
Detroiters
that we
provide
them.
There
also are
a number
of
employers
seeking
workers
today
that
many of
these
potential
candidates
may wish
to
consider.”
Photos
from
Monday
Detroit
At Work
/ FCA
Job
Readiness
Event at
Second
Ebenezer
Baptist
Church
in
Detroit.
A second
event is
being
held
today
from 4pm
until 8
PM at
the same
church.
Attendance
at all
Job
Readiness
events
must be
pre-arranged
through
www.detroitatwork.com/fca.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I
HI TECH NEWS
I
SPORTS
I
