Job training jeopardized for many laid-off workers

p://www.detnews.com/2004/careers/0405/18/c03-155891.htm
Job training jeopardized for many laid-off workers
DetNews.com, MI - 6 hours ago


Jeff Brockett lost his railroad job last year, but now works in Burlington, Iowa, which will be hardest hit by the rule change.



Job training jeopardized for many laid-off workers

Change in federal rules bars 'bundling'

By Patrick Condon / Associated Press


DES MOINES, Iowa — Across the country, thousands of laid-off workers — many of them from smaller companies in thinly populated states — stand to lose job-retraining opportunities because of a little-noticed change in the way the government pays for such programs.

The new Labor Department rules, adopted earlier this year, bar the longtime practice under which states “bundled” small groups of laid-off workers from separate companies to reach the threshold of 50 employees needed to obtain training dollars. The rule change could make it more difficult for workers who lose jobs at small companies to get training help. Thinly populated states such as Iowa will be hardest hit, since many people there work at smaller companies.

“This is going to have a profound effect,” said Ted Harms, a program coordinator with Iowa Workforce Development, a state agency. “You know, we’re not California or Illinois. We’re not even Minnesota.”

Jim Hirsch, division director for workforce development at the North Dakota Department of Commerce, said: “I’m very worried about it, what this change could mean.” The so-called national emergency grants have been used to help workers at shuttered manufacturing plants learn new skills — on computers, in health care or in trades such as welding. The department dispensed $614 million in such grants in 2000 through 2002.

Labor Department officials said the change is meant to make the confusing rules governing the grants simpler and more consistent.

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more articles below...

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20040515/1006351.asp
Laid-off workers could lose job-training help - Buffalo News

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1084708596215970.xml
Shots at job retraining shrink - Oregonian

http://www.indystar.com/articles/5/147087-3185-031.html
Feds narrow training eligibility - Indianapolis Star

All of the thinly populated areas and states will be screwed by this. Actually, I don't see it happening, the Big Inflamed Intestine of the U.S. (aka the Central Red States) are grossly overrepresented in the Senate, and they will make this not happen.

Just wait for Byron Dorgan (our own from NoDak) to get ahold of this one.

a guy, aged 40-something, with a mortgage, kids, a wife...has NO free time to "attend school".. He must try to find 2 or 3 jobs to try to keep all those plates spinning.. A 20 yr old who lives in Mom's basement..and has no bills can afford to go to school..

He went back to school and learned computer programming and is very successful at it.

However, he had a nice, fat settlement from Burlington Northern for hearing loss for his years as a railroad engineer (and a good portable pension), so for him it was a no brainer.

They ask for 87 Billon, 25 Billion, 50 Billion to rebuild Iraq and cut overtime, unemployment benefits and job training.

Sometimes I think they are just plain mean!