Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Even though the Kansas Unemployment rate dropped again in December, it could still be better. Much of the blame for that has been placed on a sluggish general aviation market, but there are job openings in aerospace.

What’s disappointing to Wichita residents is that there aren’t more local aviation jobs, yet some local aviation suppliers, like Triumph Aerospace, are hiring.

The job openings aerospace suppliers, like Triumph, have at its locations in Wichita and Wellington could get overlooked in the big scheme of things. That is when you compare a supplier to big manufacturers, like Boeing. But those openings are showcased at lob fairs like this.

Triumph Accessory Services HR Director Linda Erb says, "We are looking for an engineer position, a repair development engineer. We're also looking for a manager of new product development which is also in our engineering department."

Triumph is one of fourteen companies getting lots of attention from applicants here, including several Boeing employees now weighing their options with the announced closings.

"We've found a few people that are looking for jobs that are caught up in the Boeing situation," Erb says.

One of those is Roger Barr, a Boeing employee, who says, "I think it's great that these other companies take notice and recognize the talent that's resident within Boeing and are willing to come out here and look for that talent."

This job fair was scheduled before Boeing’s closing announcement; however, the fair organizer says interest increased after Boeing’s announcement.

"After Boeing made its announcement, we noticed a spike in employers registering for this event," says Expo Experts President Susan Turner.

Turner says the companies are looking for a wide range of engineers, technicians, skilled trades, as well as operations and management personnel. Turner does these fairs across the nation for various industries besides aerospace. She says recruiting interest is increasing and better than last year.

We’re seeing the positive signs that hiring is on the rise; that includes at companies like Triumph.