(INDIANAPOLIS) – Ivy Tech Community College is assisting General Motors Co. in its efforts to quickly fill more than 1,000 full- and part-time temporary jobs at its Kokomo plant to help current employees produce 30,000 ventilators by the end of August.
Full- and part-time temporary manufacturing team member positions offer a starting wage of $16.67, and holiday pay and health care options are available after 90 days. A virtual job fair will be held at 11 a.m. May 6 to help applicants learn more about the opportunities. To register, visit: https://on.in.gov/vjfr4
Employees must be able to perform repetitive sitting and standing precision assembly and test work for a minimum of eight to 10 hours per day. Saturday and Sunday work may be required.
Part-timers on average work between 16 and 32 hours per week. For more information or to apply, visit https://applytogm.com.
“We are really pleased with the support we have received from the Kokomo community,” said Phil Kienle, GM Vice President of North American Manufacturing and Labor Relations. “The speed of this project from concept to production has been incredible and having a strong team at the plant is critical to maintain our momentum to help save lives.”
The GM facility has been retrofitted to build the much-needed Ventec ventilators for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support the global relief efforts under way in treating severely sick coronavirus patients. Production began on April 6.
For its part, Ivy Tech Community College in Kokomo has been working with GM to create a “call to action” within the community, said Dean McCurdy, Chancellor of the college. Activities have included:
- Hosting GM employment webinars for students and community members;
- Working with partners such as regional Chambers of Commerce to post employment opportunities and distribute content;
- Engaging with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development and WorkOne centers to get employment information to case managers for dissemination; and
- Engaging across the entire Ivy Tech system to help meet the employment needs of GM.
“The General Motors/Ventec partnership and investment in Indiana and in our community is a sign of their confidence in our workforce,” McCurdy said. “Ivy Tech Community College is honored to stand beside our industry partners and assist them during this critical time. We pride ourselves in our ability to be there when our employers and community need us most.”
GM’s Kokomo facility normally supports the production of precision electrical components. To manufacture the ventilators, GM needed to source hundreds of parts and assemblies from suppliers, design a new manufacturing process and implement extensive health and safety protocols in the workplace.
The extensive preparation needed to get the plant ready, however, will be a huge benefit to the Kokomo area, said Roger Feldhaus, Executive Director of the Region 4 Workforce Board, whose area includes Kokomo.
“From an employment standpoint, this is a ray of light from a cloudy sky,” Feldhaus said. “This is just a hopeful, positive development in a time of uncertainty.”
McCurdy, Ivy Tech’s Chancellor, said the opportunity to work for GM is appealing to many of the school’s students.
“We are excited at our ability to further enhance the opportunities for our students and, in turn, provide a quality workforce for Indiana’s economy,” he said.
