Strickland at Stark State: Economy ready to rebound
By Benjamin Duer, CantonRep.com staff writer
Posted Mar 10, 2010 @ 04:31 PM; Last update Mar 10, 2010 @ 08:49 PM
JACKSON TWP. — George Judson spent nearly 40 years setting up automated machines for Hoover Co. in North Canton.The company ceased production there, leaving Judson and others unemployed.
That was in 2007.
Mack Smith, 52, of Clinton, has a similar tale.
Smith, an ex-Marine, lost his job of 30 years at Manchester Tools in Akron due to corporate cutbacks. The plant closed in 2008.
Smith and Judson, 58, of Perry Township, sought other jobs that pay closer to $20 an hour rather than $10 or less.
Each failed job attempt made it clearer: Both men needed to upgrade their skills for today’s job market.
They enrolled in Stark State College of Technology, and will graduate this semester with new certifications.
That means they will be “more marketable,” for potential employers, Gov. Ted Strickland said Wednesday.
STRICKLAND’S VISIT
Strickland visited Stark State’s campus to discuss work force training initiatives.
He toured the automation/robotics and CNC training class. And the governor viewed a brownfields cleanup training lab. The latter is funded by a $444,000 federal grant.
Both programs include students who lost their jobs and return to the classroom to be retrained.
Smith and Judson’s tuition is covered by a different federal grant, Trade Adjustment Assistance.
Strickland said it is difficult for older workers who lose their jobs “through no fault” of their own to find more work.
“It’s only right that programs like these programs that I visited today are here for folks,” he said.
RETRAINING
For Smith, he had to take one step back to retrain and be enrolled in higher education. Smith left high school early for the military. He needed a diploma or an equivalent certificate.
“I had the experience but no education,” he said.
He earned his General Education Development diploma, then became a Stark State student. The course work has taught him how to use robotics and program automated systems.
Both are skill sets that employers in his field of interest — maintenance — seek, Smith said.
For Judson, he wasn’t ready to retire and spend the rest of his days relaxing on his porch, though he could have.
“It’s boring,” Judson said. “I want to work. I think I still have a lot to offer to a manufacturer.”
Judson has found potential jobs in the past, but each one required skills that he did not have or needed an upgrade. One position required knowledge of Excel and other computer software programs.
“I had no idea,” he said.
Now he does.
“This campus is preparing for the work force,” Strickland said, praising college officials and faculty.
RECESSION OVER?
Strickland is confident there are signs the state’s woeful economy is slowly turning the corner.
“We haven’t reached recovery yet, but we are in the process of recovering,” he said.
Strickland said Smith, Judson and other retrained workers should be good position to take advantage as the economic climate recovers.
According to the governor, some of the signs indicating the state has begun to rebound economically:
• General Motors plans to restart the third shift at its Lordstown plant, which will add 1,200 jobs.
• General Motors plans to add 80 jobs at its Defiance plant, investing $59 million for a new engine block line.
• Bridgestone in Akron has broken ground on a $100 million technical center.
Lastly, Strickland said the state’s steel companies, including the Timken Co., have seen an increase in orders.
“New investments are being made in Ohio,” he said.