General Electric has begun hiring and training employees for its new mining equipment and locomotive manufacturing operations in far north Fort Worth.
GE officials said Monday that they have hired and trained a handful of manufacturing workers to build electric-drive wheel systems for huge off-road vehicles used in mining.Many more must be hired and trained before the locomotive manufacturing plant can begin operations in the fourth quarter."This has been a very challenging timetable to get a facility" set up and running, said Walter Amaya, the executive overseeing preparations for the two plants, located west of Texas Motor Speedway.Amaya was present as the Texas Workforce Commission presented a $744,845 check to Tarrant County College to fund job training for 275 GE workers. Training will be provided at TCC's South Campus and at the North Central Texas College welding training lab in Gainesville.Applications for positions at the two GE plants can only be submitted online at www.getjobsintexas.comAndres Alcantar, chairman of the Workforce Commission, said the agency "was proud to have an opportunity to partner" with GE. "We're committed to make sure you're successful and grow in Texas."Alcantar signed a facsimile 2-foot by 4-foot check that was presented to TCC and GE representatives. Within the next year, "275 people in Tarrant County will either have gotten a new job or an upgrade" as a result of the job training program, said TCC Chancellor Erma Hadley.Last May, GE Transportation announced that it would spend about $96 million to convert and expand an existing facility in north Fort Worth for locomotive production. A few months later, the company said it would invest another $95 million to add an adjacent plant to manufacture drive systems for the mining equipment.Bob Cox, 817-390-7723Twitter: @bobcoxictHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
