By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Officials with Nucor Steel Louisiana will begin a series of job information sessions next week for residents of the River Parishes who may be interested in future openings at the company’s steel and iron manufacturing facility, which is under construction in Convent.

Nucor communications manager Katherine T. Miller said the information sessions, which will be held on both sides of the Mississippi River in St. James Parish, are an opportunity for the community to learn first-hand about upcoming jobs.

She said no resumes or applications will be taken, but residents will be able to learn about the hiring process.

“It is the company’s intent to hire not just from St. James but from surrounding parishes as well,” Miller said. “Nucor will teach new employees the ‘ins and outs’ of steelmaking and specifically what it takes to make our direct reduced iron facility successful.”

The sessions begin Tuesday at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Lutcher High School Auditorium, 1910 W. Main St., Lutcher. The second session will be Thursday at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the St. James High School Auditorium, 5181 Wildcat St., St. James. The final opportunity will be Saturday, March 3, at 2 p.m. again at Lutcher High School.

Miller said the company intends to fill 150 permanent jobs at the facility by the end of 2012 as part of the first phase of construction at the Convent site, a direct reduced iron facility designed to prepare 2.5 million tons of iron ore pellets each year as part of the steelmaking process. The $750 million project is the first of a five-phase capital project worth more than $3.4 billion, making it one of the largest industrial projects in the state’s history.

The plant is expected to be fully operational by mid-2013.

Miller said the new jobs come with an average salary of $75,000 per year plus benefits.

For more information about the sessions or to see a list of the job openings that will be available, visit www. nucorjobslouisiana. com.