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3:01 a.m., Feb. 10, 2009
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FOCUS: BUSINESS EDUCATION

Colleges, universities guide displaced workers

Lewis Walker
President of Lawrence Technological University
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WHERE DISPLACED WORKERS CAN FIND HELP
New programs and resources for displaced workers offered by local colleges and universities:
Oakland Community College
• OCC Worker Transition Helpline, (248) 232-4000
• Free “Transitions Seminar Series”: The series started in late January and runs for six weeks at OCC’s Auburn Hills campus and Pontiac Center. Topics covered range from networking to planning for the jobs of the future.
• Workshops to prepare for further education or job training in the Student Center at OCC’s campus in Auburn Hills began Friday and run every other Friday from 9 a.m. until noon.

Walsh College
• Space may be still available for Walsh College’s “Take Charge” workshops. See www.walshcollege.edu and click on the Take Charge bulletin board. Topics include accounting and the job search.

Oakland University
• OU has a number of resources and programs for displaced workers, with information available at the university’s Web site, www.oakland.edu, by clicking the link titled “You Can Afford This.” Examples of resources include certificate programs for workers to be trained as paralegals, financial planners and project managers.
• The School of Engineering and Computer Science is offering skill rebuilding and professional development programs, and the School of Education and Human Services runs its Adult Career Counseling Center where workers can go for help with skill assessment and educational planning. The counseling center can be reached at (248) 370-3092, or via OU’s Web site.

Baker College
• Baker College is holding panel discussions at its Auburn Hills campus to help displaced workers. The next session on Feb. 18 is titled, “Are You as Employable as You Think You Are?” See baker.edu and click on the Auburn Hills campus calendar.

Henry Ford Community College
• The Education and Career Opportunity Center helps displaced workers with job searches, referrals for education and training programs, career counseling and other services.
The ECOC is at 3601 Schaefer Road in Dearborn and can be reached at (313) 317-6626.

Schoolcraft College
• Schoolcraft is offering new courses aimed at budding entrepreneurs, such as government contracting or construction.
The Transitions Center at Schoolcraft is a new installation for current and prospective students that houses Adult Student Services, which provides support for workers in transition. The Center can be reached at (734) 462-4400 ext. 5350, or via Schoolcraft’s Web site, http://www.schoolcraft.edu/. Click on the “future students” tab.

If you know of a resource for displaced workers, send an e-mail to Ryan Beene at rbeene@crain.com

When Chrysler L.L.C. said in late October that it planned to eliminate about 4,300 salaried jobs by January, Lewis Walker knew something had to be done.

The scale of Chrysler's cuts drove home to Walker, president of Lawrence Technological University in Southfield — and other local school administrators and faculty — the need to respond to the region's unemployment rate in a significant way.

In response, Lawrence Tech in December started “Recovery Starts Here,” a $3 million initiative to provide 50 percent tuition grants for 200 undergraduate students and 200 graduate students who have either recently lost their jobs, or are the children of parents who have lost their jobs.

“What we wanted accomplish was to react in some way to allow people to continue their education that was cut short by losing their job,” Walker said.

Lawrence Tech has put “its own money on the table” Walker said, funding the $3 million program from the school's general fund. Lawrence Tech had a $61 million budget during its fiscal year that ended June 30.

“I kind of hoped that this might spur some other universities into doing something and put something on the table to try and help displaced workers,” Walker said.

A host of workshops, networking events and other resources for displaced workers are sprouting up at other metro Detroit colleges and universities. Several schools are offering free workshops or revamped curriculum geared toward retraining or assisting displaced workers.

Ed Blews, president of the Association of Independent Colleges of Michigan, said it's impressive when private, independent colleges — that rely nearly completely on tuition revenue to fund operations — step up to offer grants or free resources. Lawrence Tech's grants, for example, represent a “major commitment and significant (revenue) sacrifice,” he said.

New programs, resources

Lawrence Tech has issued about 100 recovery grants, and Walker expects the majority of the grants to be doled out during the upcoming summer and fall semesters.

Recovery grant students will have access to the school's traditional study options, as well as recast offerings in new study areas and degree options to target growth areas identified by Gov. Jennifer Granholm's “Keep Michigan Working” initiative The new fields at Lawrence Tech include bachelor's and master's programs in life sciences, alternative energy and sustainability — with many courses offered at night or on the weekends.

Recovery Starts Here also offers free job and networking events and workshops for any displaced worker with a college degree, including non-Lawrence Tech alumni.

Lawrence Tech hosted its first “career reception” networking event on Jan. 22 at its Southfield campus, and 51 local companies looking to hire had recruiters or human resources representatives available.

About 500 displaced workers were registered to attend, but more than 1,200 showed up at Lawrence Tech's campus. Company booths had lines with dozens of engineers, IT specialists, program managers and other high-tech, skilled workers pursuing job prospects.

Lawrence Tech has three additional receptions scheduled for April 2, June 4 and Oct. 8, and plans to hold workshops before the receptions similar those leading up to the Jan. 22 event.

Similarly, Stephanie Bergeron, president of Walsh College, said Walsh faculty and leadership team realized late last year the college would need to provide more resources for displaced workers.

“Before Christmas, we met with our faculty, and we all know people that have been displaced, and we all looked at each other and said, "What can we do that can help these people to find their next place in life?'” she said.

Taking charge

The faculty's brainchild that followed was Walsh College's “Take Charge” series of free educational workshops for workers in transition launched in January at its locations in Troy and Novi.

The workshops range from one-day sessions to six-week courses, and attendees receive certificates upon completion. The workshops focus on 10 topics, including leadership assessment, accounting fundamentals, job search strategies, demystifying business certifications, using Microsoft Excel in finance, project management and information-technology security.

“We know there are jobs in the marketplace for project managers and for people that know information assurance,” Bergeron said.

“Faculty members in those areas said, "Let us lead workshops in those two fields that will help people get an appreciation of what it is like to study this, what kinds of jobs are in these fields before they make a one- to three-year commitment ...” she said.

As of Jan. 27, 542 displaced workers had registered for Walsh's Take Charge workshops,

Demand for the workshops prompted Walsh to add seats to some and offer additional sessions for some workshops.

“These are not strictly academic courses; what we're trying to do is give individuals a little bit of help in individually taking a little more control of their respective situations,” said John Moore, associate professor of finance and economics at Walsh.

Moore will teach a three-week course about starting a small business beginning in March. He also held a session Feb. 4 on household budgeting and personal options during a home foreclosure.

Similarly, Oakland Community College offers free workshops, seminars and a help line for transitioning workers that offer advice on forming a new career plan or coping with the career transition itself.

OCC established its OCC Worker Transition Helpline, a single point of contact at the community college where staffers from its Economic and Workforce Development office guide callers through services offered at its five campus locations.

Oakland University has bolstered its offerings of academic options for displaced workers looking to enhance their on-the-job experience with some of the latest skills and techniques.

OU's School of Engineering Computer and Science now offers skill rebuilding and professional development programs for IT specialists, engineers and computer scientists.

“We understand that a displaced employee has had substantial background experience ... all of that previous experience is extremely valuable for a new employer,” said Bhushan Bhatt, associate dean of the School of Engineering Computer and Science.

But after years at a job, many engineers are removed from the state-of-the-art advances that have taken place in their fields, Bhatt said.

OU also has similar programs in other areas of study.

Academic leaders acknowledge the new programs and networking support will not help every displaced worker — there were 216,711 displaced workers on the unemployment rolls as of December. But they are hopeful the collective efforts could make a significant impact.

“I suspect it won't meet the true demand,” Walker said. “We of course can't do it alone,” Walker said. “Things happen when each individual makes a difference where they can.”

Ryan Beene: (313) 446-0315, rbeene@crain.com


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