With a new Amazon Fulfillment Center opening in National City, the National City Chamber of Commerce reached out to the South County career center for assistance with the hiring of 300 part-time seasonal shipping and receiving associates, who will be managing the receiving of truck deliveries and packages.
The career center marketed this opportunity, encouraging its members to apply. Based on scores from an online application, 426 top-tier applicants—including some enrolled in WIOA—qualified to receive conditional offers of employment pending results of a drug test and background check.
The career center hosted a three-day invitation-only hiring event April 25–27, during which groups of 35–40 applicants of the 426 individuals were invited to come in each hour for an orientation and to complete forms related to employment with Amazon, including hours of availability for matching purposes. Those who passed the drug test and background check received two weeks of paid training, prior to the opening of the delivery center.
Due to the career center being open until 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, Amazon was able to see those whose schedules were not available during the day.
Though the hiring event helped Amazon fill hundreds of positions, this wasn’t the only successful outcome. Since the hiring event, Amazon has participated in a job and resource fair for veterans hosted by the South County EDD Veterans Representatives. Thanks to the success of the South County hiring event, the North County career center will also be working with the Amazon hiring team on a similar hiring event there for the existing fulfillment center in San Diego’s North County.
“Building relationships with these community partners is what it’s all about,” said South County career center Business Services Coordinator Diane Rose.