FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR AIRPORT SECURITY POSITIONS AT LAX JOB FAIR

(Los Angeles, California -- February 6, 2002) Recruiters from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will join Los Angeles County employers at Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) Small Business & Job Opportunities Center's second "We Care Job Fair" for displaced aviation and aviation-related industry employees. Information on more than 2,000 job openings, including the new FAA Security Screener positions will be available. The job fair is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Proud Bird Restaurant, located at 11022 Aviation Boulevard in Los Angeles, adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

According to the FAA, the agency is looking to immediately hire Federal Air Marshals, Aviation Safety Inspectors and Electronics Technicians. The proposed hiring of the Security Screener positions is a direct result of the Aviation Security Act of 2001 signed by President George W. Bush last November.

Other positions from entry-level to senior management in a wide range of fields including customer service, retail, and police/fire/security will be offered by employers such as AT&T Wireless, Bank of America, Kaiser Permanente, Polar Air Cargo, Rite Aid, Southwest Airlines, and local police and fire departments.

"This is another in a series of events designed to assist displaced workers," said Joyce Sloss, director of LAWA's Small Business & Job Opportunities Center. "We greatly appreciate the participation of the many employers who view this opportunity as a means to find highly qualified candidates for their positions."

Positive survey results obtained from newly hired workers after the first "We Care Job Fair" gives organizers encouragement that the fair on Thursday will help even more workers. Participants should bring their resume and be prepared to be interviewed.

"We had a very successful job fair and were able to help many displaced workers find new positions," said Sloss. "We thank all of the local employers who participated in November and look forward to working with those attending the Feb. 7 event."

Some of the participating employers who responded to the survey reported: the Los Angeles Unified School District Business and Administrative Services Division are currently testing 46 job fair applicants to be placed on hiring eligibility lists for a variety of positions; the Los Angeles Times made 11 job offers and hired six new employees; the County of Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services hired five clerks; the Disneyland Resort hired four employees; Home Interiors and Gifts hired three sales representatives; S & A Creative Cuisine hired two employees; and Loa Angeles World Airports hired 20 job fair applicants as airport security aides.

LAWA's survey found the participants who filed applications at the fair had the best chance of receiving job offers. An Inglewood woman submitted two applications and received one job offer; a Diamond Bar woman submitted three applications and received one job offer; a Hawthorne woman submitted three applications and received one job offer; two Los Angeles men submitted 10 applications and each man received one job offer; and a Los Angeles woman submitted one application and received one job offer.

The Feb. 7 "We Care Job Fair," sponsored by LAWA's Business and Employee Service Team (BEST), local employment, community and media organizations, will address the continuing need in the community for employment services that are targeted at aviation and aviation-related industry workers whose careers have been interrupted by a variety of circumstances. LAWA BEST was created last October to help mitigate the economic impacts on airport-wide employees who have lost their jobs as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11.

The event is co-sponsored by 14 local employment, community, aviation, and media organizations. Members of LAWA's BEST include the LAWA Small Business and Job Opportunities Division; the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County and South Bay Workforce Investment Boards; the State of California Employment Development Department; the Carson, Lomita, Torrance Workforce Investment Network; the Los Angeles Unified School District Division of Adult & Career Education; Marina del Rey Career Planning Center; the Urban League; HOPE Coalition; the L.A. Watts Times and California Crusader Newspapers, and United and American Airlines.

For more information, call the LAWA Small Business and Job Opportunities Center at (310) 417-6490.