Moraine Assembly was a General Motors automobile factory that closed in December 2008, leaving thousands of Ohio workers jobless. In response to the lay-offs, Sinclair Community College started an initiative to help displaced workers.
A displaced worker is someone that lost their job at no-fault of their own due to reduction in workforce, closure or company lay-off.
“During that time, a grant opportunity became available through the League for Innovation in the Community Colleges. The Wal-Mart foundation gave $3.5 million to the League for Innovation to award to eight community colleges across the country. Sinclair went through the grant proposal process and was awarded one of those grants,” said Melissa Tolle, project director of the Wal-Mart Brighter Futures Project grant.
The grant is a two-year proposal that was launched in Fall 2009 and has served over 1,000 displaced workers. Tolle said the purpose for the grant is to help displaced workers transition back into the workforce with the necessary skills and training.
“For many individuals they never thought that they would need to attend college. Sinclair is not a small institution to try to navigate through,” Tolle said. “Couple this with the factors of individuals losing jobs that they thought would be there until retirement and adjusting to loss of income, the process is very intimidating.”
To help displaced workers transition to college, two counselors are provided to help guide displaced workers through the initial enrollment, funding barriers and help them with career decision-making. These two counselors are the main contacts for displaced workers.
In addition to the two displaced workers counselors, the program also offers quarterly workshops to assist displaced workers with computer skills, resume building and interviewing processes.
“This is a voluntary service that is available to displaced workers. It is an added benefit to have a point of contact that they go to that will help them through,” she said. “It is really about getting to know the student and getting to know what they need to help them be successful.”
For more information, contact the Displaced Worker line at (937) 512-4646 or visit the Counselors in Building 10, Room 312.