[View ALL News Press Releases] Five years ago, when two large manufacturing plants in Elizabethtown laid off approximately 1,000 workers, Elizabethtown Community and Technical College partnered with several local organizations and offered free workshops to provide support and guidance to people facing an uncertain future. Hundreds of workers took advantage of the workshops, which helped them learn about finding new jobs, education and training options, managing their finances, and resources to assist with personal and family issues.

Many of the long-time workers enrolled in college classes and trained for new careers in fields they had never considered before, like teaching, radiography, nursing and business. Some enrolled in technical programs to learn a trade, some became truck drivers, some started their own businesses. While initially devastated by the loss of well-paying jobs, they were able to turn their misfortune around and create the opportunity for a new lease on life, and new career options.

More recently, ECTC and its partners offered a similar opportunity - the "Options Workshops" - to workers laid off this year from Dana Corporation and Fort Knox National Company.

Now workers in Washington, Marion and Nelson Counties faced with losing their jobs can learn what their options are. Several local businesses, including Akebono, Tower Automotive and others have announced closures and layoffs that will affect hundreds of workers. These people will have the opportunity to participate in a free "Options Workshop" on Monday, September 15, from 4 - 6 p.m. in the Opera House in Springfield on Main Street with time for questions and individual discussion. The City of Springfield, Main St. Renaissance, and the Springfield-Washington County Economic Development Authority (SWEDA) are sponsoring the workshop with ECTC.

People who attend the workshop will have the opportunity to attend two free additional workshops, including sessions on "Interviewing Skills," and "Searching for Jobs in the New Millennium." They will also be offered a choice of two free classes from an extensive list of courses offered by ECTC.

Other organizations participating in the workshop include: Financial Planning Association - Scot Hutcheson, Merrill-Lynch Ministerial Association - Minister Warren Whitaker Lincoln Trail Career Centers - Sherry Johnson and Jackie Masterson St. Catharine College - Toni Wiley Adult Education - Belinda Carter

For more information contact Angela Dorrough at 270-706-8724 or toll-free 1-877-246-2322 ext. 68724.