More Help For Laid Off Workers in Kansas

January 08, 2009

By Jim Grawe (Wichita, Kan.)

Lewis Harper is among a growing number of Kansans who are out of work.

"My money is getting low," Harper says. "I'm getting into a bind, and I want to try to have some income coming in."

Harper scours the job listings at the Wichita Workforce Center after losing his job assembling parts for airplanes. "It's terrible. I didn't think I would lose this job."

And he's not the only one blind sided by the aviation nosedive. As recently as October several agencies teamed up to start a program called PACES. Its purpose was to train more workers for the local aircraft makers. Now suddenly that plan needs some tweaking.

"It was initially aimed at the aviation industry. That is still the focus of the plan but they are working with the funders to expand that potentially to other industries," says Angela Lampe of the Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas.

Those industries still in need of skilled workers are health care and construction. Meanwhile, job seekers suited only for manufacturing face a bigger challenge.

The Workforce Alliance has a lot of information and help to offer, but unfortunately it can't create jobs out of thin air.

The number of phone calls here have skyrocketed as the aviation industry hits major turbulence. Many are wondering what they should do next, their careers seemingly in a tailspin.

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