MARTINSBURG, W.Va. – Procter & Gamble broke ground in Martinsburg a year ago, and since then the applications for jobs at the site have been pouring in.
Jeff LeRoy, communications representative for P&G, said 1,100 applicants have applied already.
There were so many applications coming in that the company had to shutdown its application portal four months, just reopening it last week. Just in the past week, LeRoy said more than 70 have applied.
“We did not expect that,” LeRoy said. “We temporarily suspended the site because we couldn’t screen them as quickly as they were coming in.”
The plant doesn’t open until fall 2017, and LeRoy said when it opens there will be 300 full-time employees. He also said by 2017, there will be 700.
With the hiring process reopened, LeRoy said new employees should be hired soon.
“We expect the next hiring class to be in mid-November,” LeRoy said.
According to LeRoy, there are five areas the company is currently hiring in: mechanical skills or aptitude, electrical skills or aptitude, individuals with skills in manufacturing and production, making and packing operations and equipment and machinery operations.
In addition to those positions, LeRoy said there will be some other, more uncommon, positions for which P&G will be looking to hire for.
“We will need people in quality control. We have a need to hire microbiologists, that is also on the website,” LeRoy said.”We also encourage any analytical chemists to check out the site too.”
LeRoy said the hiring will pick up gradually over the next couple of months as well as the next two years after the plant is official opened.
According to LeRoy, the labor force and quality of the Eastern Panhandle’s community is what drew P&G to Martinsburg in the first place. He also said Blue Ridge Community and Technical College and been a great partner, and encourages anyone to check out their programs if they are looking to be hired by P&G, but need more training.
LeRoy said one major focus of the company is to hire longterm employees, and is excited about what the future holds.
“We are looking to hire people for a career,” Leroy said. “It is important we find the right people with the right skills. This is a journey for us and we are just at the beginning. We have a long road ahead.”
For more information visit, pgcareers.com.
Staff writer Katiann Marshall can be reached at 304-263-8931, ext. 182, or at www.twitter.com/kmarshallJN.
