Hopeful applicants lined up in Pointe St. Charles in the hundreds for a shot at working on Mitsubishi Aircraft's new SpaceJet plane, as the company held a recruitment fair Saturday for its upcoming office in Boisbriand.
"Three months ago I lost my job and I think it's a good opportunity for me to find another one," said software engineer Claude Giguere.
Mitsubshi announced Sept. 19 that it would open an office in the region to produce its next-generation plane after Bombardier sold its regional jet program to the Japanese company.
The Quebec government provided a $12 million loan for the centre that will initially employ 100 people and then increase that number to 250.
"It was for the expertise," said Jean-David Scott, vice president of the SpaceJet Montreal Centre. "The expertise here in product development and the attitude of product development."
Most of the local jobs are in the engineering and product development field, but there are also opportunities in Japan and Seattle.
More than 1,500 people registered for the job fair and hundreds more just showed up.
Executives hope to have the operation in motion in Boisbriand this fall, and the Mitsubishi's next-generation plane is set to launch in 2023.
