Industries prepare for work force

muscle shoals - As the work force in northwest Alabama prepares for the addition of the soon to be largest employer in the Shoals, many existing businesses and industries are also preparing for how the change will affect them.

Representatives of National Alabama Corp. and Alabama Industrial Development Training met with those in area businesses and industries Tuesday at Northwest-Shoals Community College to discuss the pre-employment training and impact on existing industries and businesses.

The pre-employment training provides job applicants for National Alabama Corp. with the opportunity to learn about the types of training and skills that will be needed by National Alabama before the hiring process begins.

AIDT has plans to begin its pre-employment training process as early as January 2008.

Local businesses and industries were reassured that the changes taking place in the next few years will be positive ones.

Steve Sheridan, project manager for AIDT, said that with 1,800 people who will be employed at the plant, there will be a gap with existing employers that AIDT is going to help fill.

"The 1,800 people who will be with National Alabama are working somewhere right now. That means there's going to be some movement as people begin to decide whether they're liking where they work or want to go through with the hiring process," Sheridan said.

Sheridan said the gap will be filled by a pool individuals who go through the pre-employment training and have skills but aren't chosen to be hired by National Alabama after the training. The pre-employment training is going to help the process of hiring back workers to existing businesses, he said.

"This will help not only provide workers for National Alabama and backfield workers for others, it will transform the entire work force," Sheridan said.

If business owners and managers believe they will lose part of their employees after the pre-employment training process, Sheridan said that the concerned companies should contact AIDT to help set up a pre-employment program of their own to help build back their workers.

"For any business that loses more than eight people with National Alabama, we'll tailor-make a training program for your business to get you the employees you need," he said.

Don Sharp, who is in sales and management with Tri-City Manufacturing in Tuscumbia, said he just wants to be prepared for whatever losses his company will take.

"The probabilities are that when companies come in, people are going to move," Sharp said.

Sharp said, however, he believes the AIDT training will be beneficial.

"Our goal is to only lose four or five out of 45 (employees), but hopefully we'll be able to see if they can supply what we need and AIDT can do that for us," he said.

One concern was if there is going to be pay rates and benefits from National Alabama Corp. that would compete with what other businesses can offer.

Richard Mills, executive vice president of operations with National Alabama Corp., said he couldn't disclose pay rates or benefits, but said his company only wishes to do what is good for the area.

"The last thing we want to do is have a salary war. That's not good for the economy, and that's not good for the company," Mills said. "Pay and benefits are

going to be competitive but not outrageous."

Mills said another good thing for existing companies is that National Alabama Corp. hopes to utilize local resources for the facility's construction process.

"We want as much local contact with local contractors as possible and want as much of that investment to come back into the community," Mills said.

Kenda Williams can be reached at 740-5720 or kenda.williams@timesdaily.com.