Published: September 15, 2009 01:48 pm      

Federal prison: Seminars offer help to job seekers

Area residents hoping for employment at the new Federal Correctional Institution McDowell facility in Welch are urged to attend one of three upcoming job information seminars.

Construction on the new $249 million federal prison is nearing a completion at the Indian Ridge Industrial Park in Welch. The prison is scheduled to open next year. About 11 FCI McDowell employees have already been selected to assist in coordinating the opening of the facility. A new warden also was selected last week to assist with the opening of the federal prison.

The remainder of the full time staff — between 320 to 340 positions — will be filled after the 2010 federal budget is passed by Congress, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Congress is expected to pass the 2010 budget this fall.

As a result, officials with the McDowell County Economic Development office are encouraging local residents to attend one of three upcoming job information seminars.

The first seminar will be held on Monday, Sept. 21, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Wyoming/McDowell campus of Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College in Sausville. A second job information seminar will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 23, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the National Guard Armory in Welch. A third job information seminar is planned for Thursday, Sept. 24, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Mercer Technical Education Center in Princeton.

All three seminars are being held in conjunction with the McDowell County Economic Development Association, Region 1 Workforce West Virginia and the West Virginia Talent Team Recruitment Partnership.

“They need to go ahead and register, and the job information session basically explains to them the details about the hiring process and the expectations for employment with the bureau,” county Economic Development Director Rachel Lester said last week. “It tells them how to prepare for employment opportunities with the bureau.”

Lester said about 300 people attended the first job information seminar held earlier this year in Welch, including job seekers from as far away as New York. She is hoping for another large crowd at the upcoming sessions in Welch, Princeton and Sausville.

In an heartening boost to the region, hundreds of new jobs will have to be filled as early as this fall in McDowell County. We join Lester in encouraging area residents interested in employment at the new FCI McDowell facility to attend the upcoming job information seminars to learn more about the hiring process for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

New jobs are always welcomed, and particularly during tough economic times. It is our hope that as many local citizens as possible can find employment at the new FCI McDowell facility.

By being prepared, and attending the upcoming seminars, job seekers should have a better chance of securing employment at the new federal prison.