In another year and a half, Bombardier West Virginia Air Center will have doubled in size and could eventually employ up to 150 additional individuals. While construction for the projected 150,000 square-foot expansion takes place at Bridgeport Industrial Park, the company seeks out qualified candidates.

 

The Montreal-based company and world’s leading manufacturer of planes – as well as trains -  hosted an all-day apprentice invitational Monday at Bridgeport Conference Center.

 

“The Apprenticeship Program is an unprecedented opportunity to attract local talent to a career in the aerospace industry,” said Chad Hill, Director of Operations, West Virginia Air Center. “Bombardier is committed to providing world-class service to customers and we want to train the best employees to make that happen.”

 

Monday’s invitational yielded a very successful turnout; a steady stream of candidates, said Michael Horne, senior planner. The line began forming at 9:15 a.m. with the last interview taking place after 6 p.m.

 

“We couldn’t believe the turnout. The line was from the entrance of the conference center, wrapping around to the hotel,” Horne said.

 

Natalie Oliverio, senior recruiter for Bombardier, said representatives of the company personally met with 514 candidates. 

 

"We saw candidates from Barbour County to Pittsburgh, Pa. The majority of candidates were from Harrison, Marion and Taylor counties," she said. 

 

Bombardier will be hiring 60 apprentices by the end of this year, Oliverio said.

 

"And we'll continue to hire as current apprentices finish the program and become licensed," she said. "It’s a living, breathing program that will offer opportunities for long-term, stable careers to local people of North Central West Virginia. The aviation industry has grown by five percent year over year for more than 10 consecutive years."

 

Bombardier is looking to hire local people looking for a career – not just a job, Horne said.

 

“They would start with a great salary and full benefits package and on-the-job training to get them ready to be a fully-licensed aircraft mechanic,” he said.

 

Candidates came prepared with resumes and were able to take a mechanical aptitude exam on-site. Apprenticeship positions are full-time opportunities with exceptional benefits and competitive compensation. Apprentices will experience mentorship and on-the-job training while performing support work for Bombardier’s advanced Technicians.

 

“As a global industry leader, Bombardier is setting the tone for continued success in the aerospace sector – and we’re relying on our West Virginia facility to contribute to that success,” Hill said.

 

At Bombardier, employees work together to evolve mobility worldwide - one good idea at a time,” Hill said.

 

“If you have a good idea, we’ll provide the environment where it will thrive and grow into a great product or customer experience,” he said. “Your ideas are our fuel.”

                                                                                     

Monday’s event was the only invitational which Bombardier has scheduled at the present time.

 

“Bombardier is looking to the future and trying to hire local people to maintain our current workflow as well as have new hires ready to expand our maintenance facility,” Horne said. “We had several candidates that will be a great fit to the Bombardier family.”