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Job seekers have several opportunities coming up

By C. Josh Givens

In light of the June announcement by Century Aluminum that the company will lay off 628 employees throughout July and August in advance of a 9-to-12-month curtailment of production, there have been several recent hiring events in Hancock County and the surrounding area.

The Clarion learned this week Century has begun the layoff of employees at its Hawesville smelting operation. The company had previously said the layoffs would be complete by the end of next month, though it does have plans to restart production at the plant in the future.

Century has indicated the reason behind the curtailment is a tripling of the cost for energy to operate the facility.

Hiring events coming up next week for those seeking employment or a change of careers in Hancock County and the surrounding region will be:

  • Domtar – Hawesville Mill will host a job fair at the Hancock County Career Center from noon until 4 p.m. The company is seeking candidates for several hourly positions at the paper mill.

Hourly production workers are sought at $23.12 per hour.

Journeyman mechanics are sought at $38.54 per hour.

Journeyman electrical and instrumentation technicians are sought at $38.54 per hour.

The company is also accepting applications on it Web site at Domtar.com/careers.

Domtar – Hawesville Mill is an integrated pulp and paper mill, producing fine specialty paper. The mill features a mile-long chip conveyor from the Ohio River. The mill employs about 450 workers, with an estimated regional economic impact of $1.2 billion.

The mill has one fiber line with a capacity of 412,000 metrics tons of annual capacity. Its two paper lines have capacity of 596,000 short tons of annual paper production.

Corporate offices are located in Fort Mill, S.C., and Montreal, Quebec. The company is privately owned and employs around 6,400 workers worldwide.

The Career Center will host two days of a career fair in Hawesville on July 28 and 29. The July 28 event will be from 2 until 6 p.m., with the July 29 event from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The two-day career fair will feature recruiters for nearly 30 regional industries, including Commonwealth Rolled Products, Aramark, Arconic, ATC, Constellium, Kimball International, The Glenmore Distillery, Precoat Metals, Waupaca, Deaconess, Brake Supply Heavy Equipment, and more.

Food trucks from Roll Tide BBQ (Thursday) and Curbside Kitchenette (Friday) will also be on site during the event.

The Career Center has several services to help those who are unemployed or are seeking a change of career, even outside of hosting job fairs.

The center offers WorkKeys testing, which is free to Kentucky residents. As well, through the Adult Education Department, GED and TABE testing preparation is available. The center can also offer assessments of skills and aptitudes needed to succeed in the today’s employment environment.

Work readiness training in areas such as typing skills, interviewing skills, and life skills is available. The center also offers customized training programs for employers, along with assistance in resume writing and exploring career options through its video, job search literature and other informational tools.

The center can also help displaced workers with assistance in filing unemployment insurance claims, as well as matching them with job referrals through a partnership with the Kentucky Department for Employment Services

Referral information is also available for programs offered through the Kentucky Department of the Blind, Department of Vocational Rehabilitations, and Department of Veteran Affairs.

Center hours are 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. The center can be reached at 270-927-8066. It is located at 1605 U.S. Highway 60 West in Hawesville.

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