ORLANDO, Fla. – We’re now more than a year and a half into the Big Drive and with construction moving along on-time and ramping up, DOT and I-4 Ultimate are looking to add more workers.
Over the next few months heading toward fall, I-4 Ultimate, and their partners SGL Constructors are aiming to add 150 new employees for jobs with the Big Drive.
To accommodate their steady hiring and training needs SGL and I-4 Ultimate have set up a facility on West Robinson Street in downtown Orlando.
“This center was put together specifically for the I-4 Ultimate project,” Jon Walker, program project manager for SGL Constructors said. “It’s a one of a kind facility.”
This is where job seekers can come apply for work, new hires get trained and more tenured employees can advance their careers.
“We have a simulator room where we can check skill sets, and this is also a training facility," said Walker.
Potential workers come to this location to apply.
“We take applicants on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays,” said Walker. “And we have an electronic application using the computer and if you don’t know computers we have people that will help you.”
Once a new employee has been hired they come back to this facility for a four-hour safety orientation before they can move out to the field for hands-on experience.
One of the key training tools here are these simulators that give job prospects a feel for handling the heavy machinery that is used every day all over the project.
These simulators even mimic the rocking motion of equipment working on the job site. And while they are fun... like most things, it's not as easy as it looks! This training is what helps to keep workers safe on the job site.
Currently, there are 620 employees on the big drive bug SGL needs to add another 150 over the next three months. They say that employment will be at full capacity by mid-2017 with 1500 employees.