R.J. Reynolds Tobacco company is looking to fill vacancies for maintenance workers.
The company is partnering with Forsyth Technical Community College to help train workers for these positions. Program Coordinator for Industrial Systems Technology at the college Robin Petree, said students will complete four 16-week classes to fulfill the requirements for a Machine Operator Certificate.
"The jobs that we are talking about now are run and repair machanical specialists. These are people that would operate the equipment and if the equipment fails, they would diagnose and trouble shoot the equipment to get it back up and running. It tends to be highly specialized," said Petree.
There are other requirements for the positions with R.J. Reynolds, but the certificate will help meet the education component. Petree said the starting pay for these jobs will be around $28 per hour.
Reynolds American, the parent company of R.J Reynolds Tobacco Company, has a national workforce of more than 5,000 employees. But in March, the company announced that over the next two years, it will restructure its operations and, in the process, lay off more than 500 people. The cuts include several people at its Tobacoville plant near Winston-Salem.
The company says the primary reason for the downsizing is the continuing decline in demand for cigarettes nationwide. Reynolds' cigarette volume was down 5.1 percent for 2011 compared with an industry decline of 3.5 percent.
But Petree said there will continue to be a growing need in the Piedmont Triad to fill jobs in maitenance production.
"I think a lot of it can be attributed to the older work force retiring and leaving, but you also have companies like Caterpillar coming in and opening up their manufacturing plants. We are seeing more demand for these types of maintenance jobs."
The fee for the course is $884, plus the cost of parking and books. Enrollment for the Machine Operator certificate program is limited.
Forsyth Technical Community College will offer the classes during the fall and spring semesters.
