Recruiter hired for electric vehicle battery boom in Warren, Hardin counties

Warren and Hardin counties will soon have 9,000 positions to fill as a trio of electric vehicle battery plants begin operations.

The two counties have hired a workforce specialist to lead recruitment.

BlueOval SK is building a pair of plants in Glendale to produce EV batteries for Ford and Lincoln vehicles. Five thousand workers will be needed there, in addition to 4,000 workers that will be hired by AESCin Bowling Green.

The South Central and Lincoln Trail Workforce Development Boards have hired Jake Brown as EV Battery Workforce Coordinator. The Louisville native previously worked as a business service representative for the Bowling Green-based South Central Workforce Development Board.

Brown says he’ll recruit from the 18 counties surrounding Warren and Hardin counties, but also plans to cast a much wider net.

“I really think we need a centralized website that’s easy to access not just for people in Kentucky, but I’d like to target high-cost states," Brown told WKU Public Radio. "We’re seeing a lot of movement around the country of people saying, "'Where are the jobs of the future and how can I get involved in that?'”

While many of the positions are highly-skilled, Brown says others can apply for more entry-level spots, including production operators. Brown plans to target focus populations, including new Americans, veterans, re-entry populations, and young people.

Brown says a common misconception is that only those trained in highly technical fields can work in the industry.

“One of the problems with EV is that people don’t really understand the industry yet," Brown said. "It’s sort of like the internet. When it was first being developed, people didn’t really understand it, but today, it’s part of our everyday life. I think it’s the same with EV.”

Hiring has already begun ahead of full-scale operations beginning in both Warren and Hardin counties in early 2025.

Meanwhile, BlueOval SK announced last week that it has created a new position and higher hourly wages.

“We created the associate maintenance technician role as a new and great opportunity for people who don’t have the experience to qualify for a maintenance technician position,” BlueOval SK Talent Acquisition Manager Tyler Stegall said in a news release. “You’ll gain the experience required to become a maintenance technician at BlueOval SK after working as an associate.”

The company is also boosting wages for maintenance technicians and associate maintenance technicians, ranging from $24-$37.50 per hour based on experience.

“These new, higher wages are more competitive and in line with the current market,” BlueOval SK Human Resources Director Neva McGruder Burke said.

The pay adjustment comes amid contract talks between the United Autoworkers Union and Ford. Negotiations have broken down and sent workers at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville to the picket line.

The UAW is pressing Ford to unionize its EV battery factories. As electric vehicles replace gas-powered ones, the fear is many UAW workers will lose their jobs. And if lower-paying battery plants aren’t union, workers won’t have anywhere to get the same wages and benefits.