Job fairs planned for new coal mine

Henderson Gleaner

Writer: Chuck Stinnett

As part of the single largest work force hiring in the Tri-county in a decade, and the opening of the biggest coal mine in at least two generations, Henderson Community College is preparing for a pair of job fairs in the coming weeks.

Alliance Coal is constructing the River View underground mine near Uniontown and plans to employ 600 people by the end of 2010.

"They're hoping 1,500 people will be coming" to job fairs in Henderson and Morganfield, according to Tiffany Browning, a business and industry training liason at HCC.

Alliance plans to pay $23 per hour plus benefits, she said. The company expects to hire the first group by the end of October and have them on the job by early November.

To help screen applicants, HCC will host two River View job fairs.

The first will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13, at HCC's new Sullivan Tech Center, located behind the Henderson Fine Arts Center.

The second will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10, at the Herron Technology Center behind Union County High School near Morganfield.

Applicants will need to spend about one hour at a job fair, Browning said. Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED, and should bring a photo ID and a resumé.

Mining experience isn't required. "What they are looking for is just good workers. Then they'll train them," Browning said.

Applicants who are experienced miners should bring a copy of their mining card to the job fair, she said.

Job seekers will check in, hear a presentation about mining from Alliance training manager Donnie Gatten, then take the Wonderlic Personnel Test, which measures general intelligence.

Applicants who achieve a satisfactory score on the test will receive a postcard, urging them to make an appointment to take the WorkKeys job skills assessment at HCC.

"For people who score well on that, they will come in for an interview with River View Coal," Browning said.

Before being hired, an applicant must submit to a drug test.

Inexperienced miners will go through a 40-hour underground miner training class before beginning work.

Alliance Coal is part of Alliance Resource Partners L.P., which is based in Tulsa, Okla. The company operates eight underground mining complexes, including the Dotiki mine in Webster County. Alliance is the fourth-largest coal producer in the eastern United States.

For more information about the River View job fair, contact Carrie Divine at (270) 389-9531 or Tiffany Browning at 831-9840.