As the construction of the Hyundai plant moves toward completion, the application process is moving closer to conclusion, and Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT) officials report that 10,961 applications were received.

Hyundai is no longer accepting applications, but has moved to Phase Two of the hiring process in which applications of those who qualified will be processed and screened by the Alabama State Employment Service. Qualified applicants will then be notified in writing to attend a Phase Two Training Preview for a program introduction.

In Phase Three, applicants will be asked to attend training classes offered by AIDT. Qualified applicants will receive notification in writing to attend an interview for training and possible assessment.

From there, the process moves to Phase Four, where successful candidates are selected and notified in writing to attend training provided by AIDT.

These classes are usually evening classes, but could possibly be held on weekends. None of the training fees are compensated. The training includes written and practical assessments of up to 60 hours.

Training graduates who are not hired by Hyundai will have their names placed in a candidate pool for possible future employment consideration by Hyundai.

The total number of people who have applied for jobs with Hyundai is approximately 11,000. They will only hire 1,600 people at the plant.

So far, 1,200 to 1,600 of those applying at Hyundai are from our &uot;labor draw&uot; area, said Ricky McLaney, Executive Director of the Butler County Commission for Economic Development (BCCED).

&uot;I looked at the counties from which we typically draw labor, such as Butler, Crenshaw, Lowndes, Covington, Conecuh, and Wilcox, and figured that many were from those areas,&uot; he said. &uot;If they don’t get a job with Hyundai, those people are available to apply for jobs with Hwashin and Hysco.&uot;

From the total number of applicants, Butler County ranked seventh for the counties with the most applicants for Hyundai.

The breakdown of applicants from our labor draw area looked like this: Lowndes County had 400, ranked sixth; Butler County had 371, ranked seventh; Crenshaw County had 157, ranked 14th; Wilcox County had 144, ranked 16th; Conecuh County had 120, ranked 21st; and Covington County had 98, ranked 24th.

Montgomery and Dallas counties came in first and second with 3,105 and 838 applicants, consecutively.

The BCCED director said those applicants are probably ones who already have experience, and therefore more ready to be hired.

&uot;We, of course, will have to compete with Shin Young in Luverne and Sejung in Fort Deposit for those applicants,&uot; he said, &uot;but our companies here will compete at the top of the wage scale.&uot;

McLaney said the training classes for Hysco and Hwashin are in the planning stages, and he will be meeting with the education department’s post-secondary education director, Roy Johnson, representatives from Reid State Technical College and AIDT on July 16 to finalize the plans.

&uot;Our projected date for beginning training classes is after Labor Day,&uot; he said. &uot;We think we are going to get a good response to it. There will be those who are not picked to train for Hyundai who will be available for our program here. We could get those who have trained for Hyundai but weren’t picked who want to train for our companies here.&uot;