FAIRBORN — More than 1,000 people showed up Wednesday, May 5, to talk to the Air Force about jobs that involve helping manage defense spending programs.Valerie Kroetsch, a corporate district manager, said she inquired about a job as an Air Force program manager. Kroetsch, a Franklin resident who holds a master’s degree in global business, said the government hiring effort is encouraging in what has been a deflated market for jobs.

“There’s really not a lot of jobs,” she said. “It’s very concerning.”

Representatives of the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base invited mid-career professionals who are thinking about changing careers to come to Wright State University’s Nutter Center to inquire about the government civil service jobs. Candidates were urged to show up with resumes in hand, with follow-up interviews to be offered later to those with the desired skills and experience.

The Air Force said it wants U.S. citizens with specialized experience or education in finance, program management, contracting and procurement, logistics and engineering.

Letitia Swift of Dayton, who has applied to enter the Air Force and is taking nursing courses at Sinclair Community College, said she inquired about medical jobs. Although the Air Force had cautioned in advance that applicants might have only five minutes to make their pitches, Swift said: “They gave me all the time I wanted.”

A similar job fair sponsored by Wright-Patterson last August at the Nutter Center attracted at least 5,000 people for what the Air Force said then were about 50 job openings. Wright-Patterson officials said later that they eventually hired about 180 people as a result of the event.

The Air Force provided more interviewers and more interview space this time in order to make the process easier for job candidates, said Jennifer Melton, a workforce management specialist with the Aeronautical Systems Center. Although fewer people turned out on Wednesday, more of them seemed to offer the skills and experience being sought, she said.

She also had received calls and e-mailed resumes from eight states, and even one from Afghanistan.

The center, which manages aircraft and weapons programs, plans to hire about 300 people between now and October 2011 for jobs with annual wages of $70,000 and up, Melton said.

Defense Department plans call for adding about 20,000 employees across all the armed services to the government’s acquisition work force during the next several years.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2242 or jnolan@DaytonDailyNews.com.