New Web site offers career courses for Michigan's out-of-work baby boomers
If they choose to stay in the state, thousands of unemployed Michigan factory workers will need to re-brand their careers, experts say.
But how?
Online, non-credit courses with the LEARN program aim to help baby boomers laid off from manufacturing industry jobs answer that question, said University of Michigan professor Lynn Wooten, who helped to develop the program's curriculum.
Courses made available at www.50plusprime.com will aim to provide tools and the plans to find work in sectors identified as areas of growth in the state. Those areas include health care, technology and sustainable energy, said Wooten, who teaches human resource management with the U-M Ross School of Business Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship.
"There is a bridge between your former career and your new career," said Tony Fama, the president of the company that runs www.50plusprime.com. "Courses show where to go to school, the salary levels, where they can get financial aid, things like that, but it won't teach them to be a registered nurse, it will guide them. As the year progresses and we launch other classes."
Now, the site features courses on how to transition to eight different health care careers.
Fama, of Detroit-area Maria Madeline Project, Inc., hopes to develop a business model based on advertising that will keep future courses free of charge for the unemployed.
Wooten and research fellow Natalie Olesko developed the curriculum for the LEARN, asking themselves, "As the economy really moves off of a manufacturing economy to a service and knowledge economy, what are the skills the baby boomers need? What has changed? How do you think of your career if you've been laid off from a place like Ford or General Motors?" said Wooten.
The Ann Arbor Public Library is one of five Michigan libraries that will help facilitate and promote the online learning series.
Juliana Keeping covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter
Comments
CynicA2
Mon, Mar 8, 2010 : 3:33 p.m.
All these web sites offer endless counseling, courses, retraining, etc, and some will even try to SELL you this info (i.e. RetirementJobs.com). What they all fail to tell you is that here in Michigan, you can retrain until you are blue in the face, and it won't matter all that much because there are so many job-seekers relative to the number of available jobs. I have seen estimates of 15 or 20 to 1 (or more) for many positions. And this isn't just an issue for aging boomers - it affects younger workers, too. That's why so many leave. It won't change anytime soon, either.
uawisok
Mon, Mar 8, 2010 : 10:11 a.m.
"There is a bridge between your former career and your new career," What a lie this is my sister is 55 bachelors degree white collar NAFTA casuality and has been actively looking for 18 months...allot of 2nd interviews still no job because her age and they would rather hire someone younger...her experiance seems to matter ZERO...Thanks dems and repub for screwing the middle class with NAFTA!!!!
Sally
Mon, Mar 8, 2010 : 6:32 a.m.
I checked out the link and it doesn't seem much like the article describes. The "courses" are really just brief descriptions of what people do in various courses, salary, hours, etc. It sure wouldn't help me. Otherwise there's a bunch of advertising and ways to link elsewhere. Hmmm....
margo
Sun, Mar 7, 2010 : 7:29 p.m.
I want a course on : how to become a foreign country and have washington send Aid. years ago the UP wanted to be separet from Michigan..I now understand why? ny courses out their or just a grantwriter..love to here from you-them