Dozens of job seekers streamed into a Foxconn Technology Group employment fair with hopes of getting one of the thousands of positions the Taiwanese company is offering at its new Wisconsin manufacturing complex.
Representatives from about 50 local contractors and resource programs were on hand at Thursday's fair in Racine to help people either land a Foxconn job or get the training needed for a position, The Journal Times reported.
"The priority is to make sure our existing businesses succeed because of the demands of Foxconn," said Jonathan Delagrave, Racine County executive.
The company said it will eventually employ 13,000 at its liquid crystal display panel manufacturing facility in Mount Pleasant. That doesn't include the thousands of skilled trade jobs available to build the large complex.
"This is a huge infrastructure investment with roads, water systems, electrical grids and the opportunity to bring new jobs to our community and to learn about some of the technologies of the future," said Brian Albrecht, president of Gateway Technical College.
Local officials said the job fair is one of many events planned to reach workers.
"We'll follow this up with a number of county outreach sessions throughout the state of Wisconsin," said Ray Allen, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. "We'll be back here a number of times. But we wanted people to have the opportunity to see and interact with people who are going to be working on this project."
Some people have criticized the state's deal with Foxconn for not including diversity hiring. Mount Pleasant resident Alfonso Gardner said there should've been an agreement guaranteeing the company will hire minorities and women.
"It's about economic inclusion," Gardner said. "It's not about me. It's about people who have paid their tax dollars and they want an opportunity."
