City of Detroit aims to prepare 10,000 qualified residents for Fiat Chrysler jobs

The city of Detroit is embarking on an ambitious plan to prepare at least 10,000 residents for jobs at Fiat Chrysler Automobile's expanding Jeep plant on the city's east side.

As part of a deal with the city, Fiat Chrysler is giving Detroiters the first shot at 4,950 jobs that pay an average of $19.50 an hour.

So far, more than 9,000 Detroiters have attended one of more than 200 job readiness events handled by Detroit at Work, an employment agency that helps train residents and connect them to jobs. The events offer a range of services, from help completing the application to tutoring for math and mechanical reasoning tests.

"They're inspirational," Mayor Mike Duggan said of the events at a press conference on Tuesday.

Detroiters are required to attend a job readiness event to apply for an FCA job.

On Thursday, the city is hosting the last of several job fairs at Second Ebenezer Church, 14601 Dequindre St. Residents are encouraged to register online at Detroit at Work's FCA site, which also has information on the job readiness events.

"There is no better time to be in Detroit," Nicole Shepard-Freeman, the new executive director of workforce development, said at the press conference. "It's a very clear pathway to the middle class. It is a new day in Detroit."

The city hopes to turn over a list of 10,000 qualified Detroiters to FCA in late August.

Stay on top of Detroit news and views. Sign up for our weekly issue newsletter delivered each Wednesday.