Around 400 Kia Motors and Georgia state officials have officially opened the first building – a training centre – of the automaker’s ‘greenfield’ automotive assembly complex in West Point.

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Ron Jackson, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education (DTAE), the agency that led development of the centre and will operate it through its Quick Start programme, served as master of ceremonies.


“We’re proud to provide a tangible link between the community and company with this facility,” said Jackson.


The Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia Training Centre is designed and equipped to provide pre-employment assessment training and job-specific training for workers at the $US1bn assembly facility which is scheduled to begin production in 2009.


The centre houses robotics, welding and electronics labs, classrooms and equipment for training on programmable logic controllers (PLCs).

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Construction was overseen by the DTAE and Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission.


Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia is tentatively scheduled to begin production in November 2009, according to a company’s recruitment website.


When fully operational, the facility will employ an estimated 2,500 maintenance and production workers. In addition, the supplier base will add an additional 3,000 posts.


The initial plant hiring phase for hourly workers ran from 7 January to 7 February this year and Kia expects to start making job offers next month.


The hiring website said production team members will start on US$14.90 an hour and ‘top-out’ at $23.50 an hour. Maintenance/die maintenance worker wages range from $20.80 to $27.00 and hour. All posts include generous medical care and other benefits.