National Alabama will accept pre-employment applications in November

The railcar manufacturing company under construction in Colbert County is scheduled to open recruitment for team leaders, maintenance technicians and production associates.

National Alabama Corp., the Canadian-based railcar company that recently broke ground at Barton Riverfront Industrial Park in Colbert County, will soon be placing job position advertisements in local and statewide newspapers and other media outlets.

Company representatives say the applications for pre-employment training will be available at the Shoals Career Center in Sheffield or online through the Alabama Industrial Development Training Web site, aidt.edu.

Applicants will then be reviewed by the company and by AIDT, the group that will oversee pre-employment training.

After applying, individuals may be asked to attend an orientation session in December before they can begin the pre-employment training program.

"That will let people get more information about the job and who the employer is," said Phyllis Wesley, manager for the AIDT Marketing and Research Division in Montgomery.

"If their interest is confirmed, we'll do interviews in January and training starts in February."

Wesley said training will allow applicants to adapt their qualifications to what the position needs, and learn more about the employer.

"If you successfully complete the training, you'll be on the list of those we recommend to the company," Wesley said.

Officials say the company will gradually fill 1,800 positions in the next few years, with an initial 500 jobs estimated to be filled by 2009.

Richard Mills, National Alabama executive vice president of operations, said the company is targeting to hire the underemployed, or those who are currently employed but are capable to do much more at their job.

"This is a way for people to grow, with new opportunities for the whole economy to grow," Mills said. "There will be people that will leave an existing employer to come to us, but AIDT will help those companies in the community."

Mills said that even if applicants submit their interest in a job and pre-employment training with National Alabama, but aren't immediately contacted, they could be chosen later, as a pool of candidates will be kept by the company.

"There are ways you'll be able to go to (Northwest-Shoals) Community College or the career center to see what the status is of your application and to find out ways to improve your skills too," Mills said.

At the National Alabama Corp. site at Barton Riverfront Industrial Park, Mills said site construction workers are in the process of excavating the area where the plant will be built.

Mills said that between now and December, site work and basic foundations will begin to form, and December through January will see the addition of detailed foundations, followed by framing the steel structure of the building.

Mills said the general contractor, process engineering firm and the company itself will be announcing forums in the near future to let businesses interested in sub-contracting or offering their services to know how to get involved.

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