Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to announce another job partnership with AirServ for 200 new full time positions, building on a relationship that has already resulted in significant new Union County hires for the company.
AirServ provides ground services at Newark-Liberty International Airport, including cargo, cleaning, transportation, passenger services, ramp handling and security. It is a unit of ABM, one of the largest facilities management companies in the U.S.
“These are the kind of solid positions that can help our residents build a better future for themselves and their families,” said Freeholder Chairman Mohamed S. Jalloh. “I’d like to thank AirServ and Union County College for forming this productive partnership with our One Stop Career Centers and the Workforce Investment Board, and working together to help strengthen the entire Union County community.”
Jalloh also noted that Martin C. Blake, Jr. Senior Vice President of AirServ “shared with us that ‘good Union County residents are securing good jobs,’ and ‘AirServ will support this initiative until every vacancy in the company is filled.’”
Union County’s One-Stop Career Centers match employers with job seekers, partly by pre-screening pools of qualified applicants. The pre-screening service saves local businesses time and expense in the hiring process.
Two earlier pre-screening partnerships between One-Stop and AirServ have resulted in just over 150 new job offers for Union County residents since last fall.
“Strong work skills build strong citizenship, and it is very gratifying to see that our stepped-up workforce development efforts are bearing fruit so quickly,” said Freeholder Sergio Granados, who is the liaison to the Workforce Investment Board (WIB). “We are not waiting for employers to ask us for help. We are training County residents in high-demand fields, and we are being proactive in matching them with local businesses. Now more than ever our residents need us and we are here for them.”
In this third round of hiring, AirServ asked WIB to provide a pool of 200 applicants qualified for passenger services and aircraft cleaning.
The process began with a job fair at the One-Stop Career Center in Elizabeth earlier this week. Those interested in applying will fill out their applications and undergo a background check with drug testing today and tomorrow at the Union County College campus in Elizabeth.
Next month, qualified applicants will begin a soft skills training course in preparation for employment, through the 40-hour Employability Skills Curriculum developed at Union County College.
The course is designed to help Union County residents enter the workforce with foundational skills that apply across a wide range of positions, including work ethics, time management, attention to detail, written and oral communication skills, teamwork, decision-making and problem solving.
In addition to savings during the hiring process, AirServ will also benefit from an “earn while you learn” on-the-job training program offered by the Union County Workforce Innovation Business Center.
The program provides a wage subsidy of up to 50% during the first six months on the job, to help defray the cost of training new employees. It is funded by the Freeholder Board through the Workforce Investment Board.
Businesses looking for qualified job applicants in Union County can contact Antonio Rivera, Director of the Union County Workforce Investment Board, at 908-527-4195 or arivera@ucnj.org, or visit online at ucnj.org/wib.
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