Layoffs will 'strain' LCC retraining funds
Thursday, November 13, 2003 8:11 AM PST
By Amy M. E. Fischer
Printable version
E-mail this articleDespite sharp cuts in worker retraining federal funds, there should be enough to help fine paper workers who will be laid off at Weyerhaeuser Co. later this month, Lower Columbia College officials said Wednesday.
"We will have some resources to help them, but this is going to strain us," said Brendan Glaser, LCC's dean continuing education and Workforce, which offers support to displaced workers. "Those resources are very scarce, and we're going to have to do a little stretching."
Washington's current allocation of federal dislocated-worker money is $39.4 million, a 42 percent drop from the 2002-03 academic year. Program managers in several counties throughout the state say they've already used up their allocations for this academic year, according to The Associated Press. While they have money reserved for clients already enrolled, newcomers most likely will have to wait until next summer to get help, they say.
The job retraining program provides up to $6,000 per client for retraining. About 8,000 dislocated workers statewide are getting help through the program, including about 3,600 on tuition assistance.
Although funding has been slashed almost in half, LCC still has some money for its program because demand for worker retraining at the college has fallen slightly this year, Glaser said.
"At this point, we still do have funding to address this," Glaser said, referring to the 119 Weyerhaeuser Fine Paper workers who will be laid Nov. 25. "Whether or not we make it to the end of the year will remain to be seen."
LCC will see if the state can make emergency retraining funds available, he said.
In reaction to the news of impending Weyerhaeuser layoffs, Workforce will initiate its Rapid Response Team today. The team is a partnership of agencies that directs displaced workers to new education and employment opportunities. It presents information at different venues, sometimes at job sites, to help workers understand what benefits are available, such as tuition assistance, Glaser said.
"Rather than bounce them from one agency to the next, we try to put together a series of coordinated activities," Glaser said.
LCC's Continuing Education Program has met the needs of laid-off workers for several years with screening, assessment, and referral to training and academic programs, said Chere Weiss, the program's director.
"We do have some opportunities for people to start over and try something different," Weiss said.
How to get help
• For more information about dislocated worker services, contact Carol McNair, director for counseling at Lower Columbia College, at (360)442-2341.
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