THE ORD DIGEST NOVEMBER 9, 2009

Two-Year DOL Award Assists Displaced Workers

Pamela Becker, left, and U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis converse at the Worker Re-Training Round Table at EMU in June 2009.

“The State of Michigan has a dire need to retrain workers who have been or soon will be displaced due to the State’s severe economic downturn,” says Lynette Findley, Assistant Vice President, Retention and Student Success, the Project Director. “More than 217,900 manufacturing positions were lost between 2000 and 2005, and this figure has grown much, much larger due to recent layoffs and closures. “Our project is an innovative program supported by a Department of Labor earmark award of $325,216 to build upon existing programs and develop new avenues for enabling these workers to obtain their bachelor’s degrees in Technology Management and obtain new employment. We’re providing a vital shot in the arm for the State’s economy and, really, for all of us who live here.” Pamela Becker, the Technology Management Program Coordinator and Project Codirector, explains, “We have already begun outreach to a minimum of 300 potential participants. Our project partners are nine community colleges in southeastern Michigan with whom we have articulation agreements and Washtenaw County Michigan Works ETCS. Outreach will continue until 65 participants have enrolled. Those at the community colleges will transfer to EMU to complete their degrees in Technology Management. They can complete up to 94 hours at an approved community college and then transfer this credit to EMU.” A comprehensive advising/service center for displaced workers at EMU will provide admission counseling, orientation, registration, academic advising, and job counseling, as well as financial aid to those whose education is not supported by other means. While the usual ways of delivering education are available, an online baccalaureate degree-completion program is available to help hold down costs and increase accessibility. Since the State has experienced a decline in the number of science, technology, engineering, and math degrees since 2003, graduates of the Technology Management program will help reverse this situation and provide a much-needed thrust forward for the State’s economy and general well being. Graduates will be poised to enter the high-growth professional and business-services sector. In addition, Findley and Becker’s DOL Workforce Investment project exemplifies EMU’s mission to serve the wider community. At the same time, it stands as a model for the entire nation to emulate.