In August 1983, when the second largest employer in Washington County, Maryland, closed its plant, the local unemployment rate was 13%. The following month, Hagerstown Junior College (HJC) received $50,000 in state funds to initiate a dislocated worker (DLW) program. The program included orientation by a counselor, diagnostic testing, and…

Educators anticipate bold new education reform initiatives from President Bill Clinton and his Education Secretary, Richard Riley. A priority project is college tuition loans, repayable through voluntary public service jobs. The President also supports increased funding for the Head Start Program and money for a national apprenticeship program for…

Discusses the socioeconomic effects of plant closings, focusing on the problems faced by dislocated workers who lack the financial resources to complete a retraining program. Describes the Eastern Iowa Community College District's efforts to train and counsel dislocated workers through its Caterpillar Worker Assistance Center. (DMM)

First of a two-part report on a 1982 study by the staff of the Education and Work program at Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL), this issue presents the preliminary findings from questionnaires (and telephone surveys) of 30 unemployed men and women. In order to determine how unemployment affects people, NWREL's study identified and…

This package contains materials that deal with issues of unemployment and labor adjustment for use in classes in English as a Second Language. The materials are designed to give teachers some ideas of how to raise issues pertaining to unemployment, self-assessment, and retraining. The general approach provides a framework for students to talk…

Discussions centered on circumstances faced by laid-off workers in Portsmouth, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Upper Cumberland, Tennessee, and Gary, West Virginia. These diverse Appalachian communities are prototypes of the extent of local distress imposed by the impersonal workings of the market and the absence of precedents for dealing with…

This collection of 16 case studies is intended to illustrate how the public and private sectors have managed to collaborate in helping workers adapt to changing employment circumstances. The case studies are grouped into three categories. The first six case studies are examples of programs that have been developed to assist in training for new…

This issue discusses the problems that frequently accompany involuntary job loss. The types of problems experienced by dislocated workers are discussed under these categories: emotional, family, financial, physical health, job skill obsolescence, and lack of basic academic skills. The report also presents approaches that were taken by four…

The displaced worker is an individual who has been laid off from a job and has little or no hope of returning to that particular position. The number of displaced workers is large and is apt to increase. Displaced workers are typically male, older, not highly educated, and are union members with several years of seniority and above-average wages.…

Discusses the trend toward job displacement in the United States as a result of technological advancements. Considers the need for science education for the millions of out-of-school adult workers. Challenges the science education community to address this need in a timely manner. (TW)

This report addresses the degree to which retraining has met the challenge of ensuring that the American work force has adequate skills to cope with the changing world of work. Chapter 1 sketches economic, social, and technological changes that help explain why the current reactive approach needs to be more active. In chapter 2, the extensiveness…

This issue paper, intended to stimulate discussion within the employment and training community, was developed in response to the Economic Dislocation and Worker Adjustment Assistance Act (EDWAAA), the recently passed amendments to the Title III dislocated worker program of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). The fact sheets and option paper…

This booklet, which is intended for practitioners in continuing higher education, examines the role of higher education in retraining displaced professionals. The booklet begins with brief descriptions of four innovative university programs for displaced professionals and an exploration of higher education's role in retraining displaced…

This report describes job training and placement programs offered by the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) for members dislocated by plant closings and job reductions. The first part of the booklet provides general information about the Steelworkers' worker assistance programs, including program summary, program principles, the comprehensive…

This guide is intended to serve as a reference tool to individuals responsible for planning and implementing a work force reduction program. The information included in the guide represents a synthesis of practices that have worked for a number of companies, individuals, and communities that have had to cope with a work force reduction. The first…