KF Aerospace will be hosting a job fair this week in hopes of filling 40 new positions at their Mount Hope facility.
The company, which provides maintenance, engineering and modification services for both commercial and military air operators, has several locations across Canada — including in Hamilton.
The job fair will highlight a range of entry-level positions which include paid on-the-job training and certification programs that come with “competitive wages and benefits,” according to a press release.
Those roles include aircraft painting and interior technicians, as well as hangar support and tool counter positions.
The company is also looking to recruit licensed and apprentice aircraft maintenance engineers with structures, mechanical and avionics designations.
Grant Stevens, chief corporate services officer for KF Aerospace, told The Spectator that the company is hoping to reach a target of 300 staff members by the end of this year.
However, the Hamilton site could be capable of employing up to 400 people, he added.
“We expect to be hiring through the next couple years as we grow,” he said, noting the job fair will likely become an annual event.
Stevens said the company weathered the pandemic storm “very well,” even adding new clients, while airline operators struggled as travel slowed.
KF Aerospace works on a wide variety of aircraft, including Boeing 737s and 767s, performing heavy maintenance, major overhauls, as well as aircraft conversion.
“They’re good, stable jobs,” he said, pointing to benefits for both part-time and full-time employees as well as an annual bonus program and paid-time off. “And they all have career paths.”
Stevens said one of the most in-demand positions in the Canadian aviation industry at the moment is for aviation technicians that specialize in working on the structure of the aircraft.
That’s just one of the courses offered by Mohawk College, which partnered with the company to build the Centre for Aviation Technology at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport, said George Miltenburg, association dean of the programs.
Miltenburg said due to the pandemic, most aviation companies are looking for new talent, pointing to high employment rates for Mohawk graduates. The college will have a booth at the job fair with information about aviation programs at the school.
“The opportunities in Hamilton are good,” said Miltenburg. “Transport Canada, who licenses the aircraft maintenance engineers (AME), are forecasting a need for AMEs that’s going to go on for the next many, many years.”
Attendees of the job fair will also be able to tour KF’s hangars and repair shops, as well as speak to staff to learn more about positions within the company.
The event will run from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday evening in the main lobby of KF Aerospace and Mohawk College at 9500 Airport Rd. in Mount Hope. Free parking is available and applicants of all backgrounds are welcome.
