NEMCC job fair continues to grow
Image credit: Adam Robison / Daily Journal
BOONEVILLE – More than 50 companies and businesses signed up for the Northeast Mississippi Community College’s annual spring job fair on Tuesday, drawing hundreds of students and alumni.
Among them was Joshua Johnson, who will be graduating in a few weeks.
“I was mainly interested in Mississippi Silicon, but I'm also interested in Kimberly-Clark and some others,” said Johnson, who’s been studying industrial maintenance.
Mississippi Silicon has started hiring the first of what could be as many as 200 workers at its $200 million plant in Burnsville.
Johnson spent several minutes with the company's human resources manager, Mark Ivey, getting as much information as he could.
Johnson isn’t sure if he’ll get a job when he graduates or move on to a four-year college or university.
“I don’t have any plant experience, so I’m testing the waters to see what’s available and if I like it and if I do continue to pursue it,” he said.
Mississippi Silicon will produce silicon metal to be used in a variety of industries including automotive, aluminum, chemical, semiconductor and solar. The plant is opening in August, Ivey said.
“We’re looking to hire 150 and eventually get to 200,” he said. “Silicon demand is up 17 percent over last year, so we’re in a good position. ... We want to hire people from Northeast Mississippi and give them good jobs.”