KJZZ

General Motors will be hiring a thousand high-tech employees to staff its new Information Technology Innovation Center in Chandler. Company officials made the announcement Wednesday with city and state leaders.

GM is investing $21 million in the project. This is one of four innovation centers GM is developing around the country. GM says it chose Chandler because of the pool of talented IT workers and because the state's universities offer a steady stream of new graduates.

Chandler mayor Jay Tibschraeny says this will have a long lasting impact, "and for our residents and residents of the Valley and the state, this announcement means high quality sustainable jobs. It means in the state and also in Chandler, we can diversify our workforce."

The center is scheduled to open by the first quarter of next year and reach full staffing in the next several years. But GM spokesman Randy Mott says this project is on a fast track.

"We’re planning to begin interviewing immediately and we have a temporary we’ll be moving into and opening on April 1," Mott said.

The other innovation centers are in Georgia, Michigan and Texas. GM says they are part of the company’s plan to bring its IT development back in-house as the auto manufacturer continues to remake itself after the federal bailout four years ago. The U.S. government still owns almost 19 percent of GM’s stock.