New Aerospace Job Center Opens Today in Long Beach

The Long Beach Aerospace Jobs Center, which describes itself as a new placement and training resource for the Southern California defense industry, will be formally opened at ceremonies in Long Beach today.

Organized jointly by industry and state and local governments, the center is intended to provide a central resource for aerospace employers needing to fill jobs and workers looking for jobs.

A key participant and an important user of the new center will be McDonnell Douglas, whose huge Douglas Aircraft plant is near the jobs center.

“We are going to be the principal users, but other companies can draw on it also,” Douglas spokesman Don Hanson said. “We will continue taking job applications ourselves, but we will have everybody go through an assessment by the center.”

The assessment is done with a computer-based test that measures skills, aptitude and experience. Interviews for applicants are then set up with employers throughout Southern California.

It is not clear how successful the new center will be in finding jobs for applicants at a time most aerospace companies are laying off employees. Douglas, which is experiencing growth in its commercial and military aircraft programs, has been a notable exception to the trend.

The new jobs center will be able to process 500 job applicants a week. In preliminary operations so far this year, the center has taken 5,800 applications and placed 900 workers in jobs, mostly at Douglas.

The center will take applications for no charge. Aerospace industry employers can receive referrals from the center, which is at 4902 Davis St., Long Beach.

The jobs center was funded by a $2 million Job Training Partnership Grant from the State Employment Development Department. Other supporters are the City of Long Beach, Douglas Aircraft, Valpar International and Long Beach City College.