SHERBURNE – After hiring sprees earlier this year, Frontier Communications is preparing to increase the amount of employees at its Sherburne offices as recently-hired recruits finish their training.

The Frontier team will nearly double in size, according to Jim Currie, vice president of the company’s northeast field operations. Frontier began the year with 125 employees and an additional 126 have been added since the company hosted two job fairs earlier this year – one in May and another in August. The total employee count has exceeded 400 people at the Sherburne plant, and another 30-35 people are still needed to fill vacant positions in the near future.

Frontier is seeking to reach peak employment capacity by March 1, said Currie. The company may need to ponder the option of expanding its facility, he added, because it now needs room to seat 300 employees. According to him, 80-90 percent of Frontier’s Sherburne employees reside in Chenango County, contributing to a boost in the local economy.

Training lasted eight weeks for incoming Frontier employees. Sessions were held in Sherburne and additional sessions in Norwich because not enough room was available at the Sherburne facility for the number of incoming trainees.