Still want to work for Airbus in Mobile? HR director says hiring 'happening continuously' through spring 2015
Updated: Jan. 13, 2019, 9:28 p.m. | Published: Aug. 05, 2014, 9:21 p.m.
The latest wave of new hires for the Airbus A320 final assembly line under construction at Mobile Aeroplex began training Monday, Aug. 5, 2014. These 14 people, the majority of whom hail from Mobile and Baldwin counties, will be the first hires associated with the $600 million project to actually work hands-on with the aircraft being assembled in Mobile. (Kelli Dugan/kdugan@al.com)
By Kelli Dugan
MOBILE, Alabama – Airbus has hired 42 people to date for its A320 final assembly line under construction at Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley, and the facility's human resources director said Tuesday to keep the resumes coming – even if you've already applied.
"We start a new candidate pool with every single available position, so don't assume that if you applied for a different job we just have your resume right there in front of us. We don't," said Jennifer Ogle.
The next group of about 20 hires will be announced, she said, in October and will focus primarily on structures and assembly mechanics, but "hiring is happening continuously" and covers everything from logistics and information technology to engineering and direct assembly.
Hiring and construction, Ogle said, remain "absolutely on track," and she expects to "reach a critical threshold" for hiring in spring 2015, but declined to provide a specific figure of the number of employees the facility will have by that time.
Airbus is currently building its first A320 assembly line on U.S. soil at Mobile Aeroplex, expected to figure prominently in the company's ability to efficiently fill the mounting backlog for the popular single-aisle aircraft. The $600 million facility is slated to come online in 2015, deliver its first Mobile-assembled aircraft the following year and employ about 1,000 people when it reaches full annual production of 40 to 50 aircraft by 2018.
"We're on track. Construction is on track. We're not having any trouble at all finding skilled people and we offer a competitive benefits package," Ogle said.
She did acknowledge the hiring process is lengthy and offered the following tutorial to give potential applicants an idea of the time investments expected to even be considered for employment:
Step 1: apply online
Step 2: applications are reviewed
Step 3: preferred candidates are invited to a four-hour orientation to learn more about Airbus and its employment partner AIDT
Step 4: interviews are scheduled for the most desirable candidates
Step 5: two weeks of pre-employment training is conducted by AIDT on the candidate's own time from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Step 6: Job offers are extended to successful trainees
AIDT oversees all employment postings and pre-employment training for the A320 final assembly line in Mobile. For a complete list of available positions associated with the Mobile project as they become available, check the AIDT website regularly.