Quality Job Opportunities as Companies Expand

While gloomy economic and employment news continues to dominate the news, new, quality jobs are being created with the help of programs administered by the Arizona Department of Commerce.

In the past ten days, three Arizona companies, two in aerospace/defense and one in transportation, have indicated they are hiring up to 271 employees, and train new staff through the Arizona Job Training Program. The program helps increase the skill set of working Arizonans, while boosting the competitiveness and revenues of businesses in the State.

"Ensuring that Arizonans have access to job training is crucial to the success of local economies, and the state’s,” said Marco A. López, Jr., Director of the Arizona Department of Commerce. “These citizens need to be able to compete for well-paying jobs in today's economy, and these grants provide the training necessary to enable them to do that."

The companies awarded Job Training Grants for new employees are:

• M3 Transport, LLC (dba Express Way Group),Glendale, 140 new jobs

• Cessna Aircraft Company,Mesa,123 new jobs

• Night Vision Systems, LLC, Prescott Valley, 8 new jobs

Companies receiving Job Training grants through the Arizona Department of Commerce have two years to complete the training. Employers pay up to half the cost of training existing employees, and up to 25% of the costs of training new hires.