ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s been three months since Spirit Airlines suddenly closed its doors, leaving almost 1,600 employees in Orlando without jobs. Now the U.S. Department of Labor is allocating $5.6 million to help retrain Spirit workers across Florida.
The DOL says the Spirit Airlines bankruptcy left 5,000 Spirit workers across Florida out of work and employees from companies that supported the airline’s operations.
The Florida Department of Commerce and CareerSource Central Florida are holding job fairs and other training programs to help Spirit workers find new jobs.
Miguel Quninones was a flight attendant for five years with Spirit, and he’s still looking for a full-time job.
“It’s been kind of hard because now everybody is looking for a job in the airline industry,” Quninones said. “So I just applied with a few companies and I did not have any luck with two of them, but right now I have an interview next week with another airline, so let’s see what happens.”
CareerSource Central Florida sent Spectrum News a statement saying:
“CareerSource Central Florida is grateful for this U.S. Department of Labor award, which will help us continue supporting individuals and families impacted by the Spirit Airlines closure earlier this year. This funding strengthens our ability to serve up to 750 affected workers with the career services, training opportunities, and job placement support they need to take their next step with confidence.”