Laid-Off Workers Go Back to School

In the last 10 years, Dayton, Ohio has lost half of its factory jobs, most of them in the auto industry. When it comes to retraining those laid-off workers to re-enter the workforce, Sinclair Community College in Dayton is viewed by many as "a model community college," the New York Times reports.

"Workforce development has always been a part of Sinclair," said Sinclair President Steven Johnson. "The college began 100 years ago in an effort to better match the skills of Dayton's available workforce to the needs of employers in the region. In fact, we still operate with the same motto created by our founder David Sinclair — find the need and endeavor to meet it."

As the recession has forced so many people to lose their jobs, community colleges across the country have become an unheralded force, attracting hordes of unemployed residents who are looking to learn new skills at low costs. In the past year, enrollment at Sinclair has jumped 30 percent to 37,000 students. Tuition is $2,000.

Todd Sollar, for instance, worked at General Motors for 11 years and when his plant closed, he needed to learn new skills to adapt to the shifting market. He enrolled in Sinclair and now he writes computer programs that run the same machines he used to operate.

He said he didn't want to throw away his decade-worth of experience. Growing up, Sollar said, he didn't think college was right for him. But he said now he believes his past experience and the new skills he's learning at Sinclair will give him a leg up in the job market.

The recession has hit Sinclair also as adminstrators struggle to meet the spikes in student population amid budget cuts. But educators still say community colleges like Sinclair offer a unique opportunity for students to gain knowledge, collaborate on projects and learn skills at the fraction of the cost of a university. Sinclair now offers degrees in high-tech robotic programming, envinromental engineering, aviation technology and health care.
 
"We're always looking for new things to do," said Mike Donovan, who runs Sinclair's advanced integrated manufacturing center, where students teachers and businesses collaborate on projects, "and it's these types of environments and these labs where those things can happen."

For the complete story, visit www.nytimes.com.