A construction job fair will be held Thursday in Spencer, Tenn., to hire workers for a major expansion at the Southeastern Tennessee State Regional Facility, a prison in Pikeville, Tenn.
One state employee said he was thrilled to cut through recent economic gloom.
“We’ve gone through a long stretch where we haven’t had any positive news like a job fair to announce,” said Jeff Hentschel, spokesman for the Tennessee Department of Labor.
A news release asks for applicants in jobs ranging from concrete workers to journeyman plumbers. Various officials estimated the project will create about 400 jobs over a three-year period.
PDF: Spencer Job Fair IF YOU GO* What: Construction Job Fair* When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday* Where: Administration Building, 500 College St., Spencer, Tenn.* What to bring: Two forms of identification with one including a photo, a list of references and a resume
Depending on assigned duties, some positions will be hired on a temporary basis while other workers will stay until the project is completed, officials said.
“With any type of construction, there’s going to be workers who come and go,” Bledsoe County Mayor Gregg Ridley said.
The jobs fair will strengthen the county, where unemployment hovers around 15 percent, Mr. Ridley said.
“This is a huge deal for Bledsoe County,” he said. “It will keep construction workers at home that are driving anywhere from 30 to 65 miles a day one way to their current employment.”
Next door, Van Buren County has similar unemployment numbers. Tennessee Career Center Manager James Perry said the county had 2,550 people in its work force. Of those, about 380 people are unemployed, records show.
The work at the prison “is going to bring a lot of folks back in where they can make a living for their families,” he said. “The general contractors and subcontractors have indicated they will hire from these counties first. It’s a great influx of jobs.”
Because the work is centered on a state prison, employers must pay the “prevailing wage.” The Tennessee Department of Labor updates those wage rates by conducting periodic surveys of private contractors to determine average pay for construction jobs.
Officials said groundbreaking for the prison expansion is set for April 16, so workers should have a “pretty quick turnaround” after the jobs fair to learn whether they were chosen for work, Mr. Ridley said.
Mr. Perry predicted that surrounding counties will have an economic jolt.
“Most economists will tell you that a payroll dollar will turn over several times in a community,” Mr. Perry said. “This will reduce some hardship drastically. We’re real excited about this.”