Helping build jobs in Knox Co.

VINCENNES, IND. (WTHI) - A southern Indiana community is putting a plan in place to get workers ready for hundreds of jobs in the near future.

Knox County's 6.7 percent unemployment rate may be below the state average of 8.2 percent and the national rate of 7.8 percent, but local leaders are working to get that number even lower.

Several organizations are working with a new turkey operation to get people ready to fill a lot of potential positions.

Despite the cold and snow, the new Farbest Processing Plant is taking shape in Vincennes, and the the company's mill near Bruceville is also being built on schedule.

Gary Gentry with the Knox County Development Corporation says the company has even hired some of its first employees for the operations.

"Key positions have been filled at both the mill and the processing plant," said Gentry.  "There are still some open positions there for key management positions."

The plant is still a long way from being operational, but when it is ready to go it should have a work force that's in place and trained.

While no firm dates have been set, the Work One office will be posting potential jobs and conducting a series of job fairs to help find workers.

Vincennes University and Good Samaritan Hospital will also be providing screening and training for those new employees.

"It's good to see the community coming together to meet the needs of work force development in the area of supplying new employees to the new plant," said Gentry.

Between the mill and plant the company is expected to hire 350 people and have them working by this time next year.
 
Farbest could add more shifts at the plant and eventually employ as many as 700 people.