Feds announce contract for screener recruitment

Minnesota-based hiring consultant NCS Pearson signed

U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta has announced a government contract worth more than $100 million for recruitment of airport security screening personnel.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The new federal agency taking over security at the nation's airports has signed a contract worth more than $100 million to recruit more than 30,000 people needed as airport "screeners."

The contract with NCS Pearson -- a Minnesota test-scoring company -- was announced by Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and Under Secretary of Transportation for Security John Magaw on Monday.

The company is to collect and sort applications and analyze screeners' experience, but the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is to conduct the criminal background checks required of every new federal screener.

NCS Pearson will not be responsible for training the screeners, who must undergo 40 hours of classroom training and 60 hours of field training before working at airport security checkpoints.

TSA officials say they hope to begin putting the first federal screeners into place in April. The agency has acknowledged it has more jobs than it has people to fill them.

Monday's news conference was Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta's first public appearance since undergoing hip replacement surgery in January.