As public sentiment continues to sour on data centers, with many fearing their impacts on energy and the environment, Amazon held a media event Wednesday to tout the jobs their $11 billion data center near New Carlisle is creating.
They had a ribbon cutting for their Campus Administration Building, where they touted the fact that 58 new trainees –- Amazon calls its employees builders –- completed the company’s 1-year Work-Based Learning Program.
They made two recent graduates available for interviews, 27-year-old Christian Loomis of the Rolling Prairie area, and 44-year-old Rosalyne Swanson of South Bend. Neither had any technical background.
Loomis is a New Prairie High School graduate who had been a personal trainer before learning about Amazon at a Hudson Lake hiring event.
“This is an opportunity for the trades of nowadays," Loomis said. "I feel like this is the way of the future and as young people, it’s an opportunity to get your foot in the door and take a year, and then you can be in a skilled position that traditionally takes two to three years of schooling.”
Swanson, who had been an electrician apprentice, said she’s sharpened her leadership ability.
”I’ve actually learned a lot of skills here but I’m also growing as a professional, growing as a leader in the community,” Swanson said.
Amazon says they’ve hired about 1,000 people at the data center with about 800 of those people coming from Michiana, and the data center plans more growth.
