Observation of Displaced Manufacturing Workers in Their Transition for Successful Re-Employment through Community College Education/Retraining Programs

By

Acknowledgement

I would like to sincerely thank my friends, family and colleagues for the endless understanding, guidance and patience, and most importantly, the support and friendship during my studies. The mentorship of these people has been paramount in facilitating me a well-formed experience which has always provided unswerving guide in achieving my goals. They encouraged me to go further with all my projects and helped me groom into an independent thinker and a good student.

It is due to the humble efforts of my leaders and mentors that I have inculcated in me the confidence to develop my own individuality and sufficiency which enables me to perform the tasks with independence. In the course of completing this dissertation, I am also grateful to my co-workers and friends who provided me enough knowledge and entertainment and proved to be helpful in performing the huge research work. Besides this, the consistent guidance and assistance from my colleagues also gave me distinctive opportunities to gain a wider breadth of experience and undertake an extensive research work.

Finally, and most importantly, I extend sincere thanks to my family members, who provided utmost care and all the strength and encouragement. My faith and ambition has become stronger due to the prayers of my family who tolerated my temper and complains with patience. Without this unending support and encouragement, the completion of this enormous research work would not have been possible.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background1

Problem Statement3

Purpose of the Study3

Aims and Objectives4

Research Question4

Significance of the Study5

Definitions5

Electronic Database Searches6

Theoretical Frame work7

Chapter I: Introduction7

Chapter III: Methodology7

Chapter IV: Critical Analysis and Discussion8

Chapter V: Conclusion8

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW9

Introduction9

Displaced Workers10

Experiences of Displaced Workers13

Problems Displaced Workers Face after Job Loss14

Brief History of Community Colleges16

Education and Retraining Experiences through Community Colleges17

Preparedness of Displaced Workers for Employment in a Different Field20

Retraining21

Probability of Employment after Completing Community College23

Family and Community Ties23

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY27

Methodological Approach27

Research Design28

Epistemological and Philosophical Assumptions28

Research Approach29

Participant Selection30

Gaining Access to Participants31

Data Collection Procedures32

Interviewing32

Analysis of Data33

CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS35

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION36

REFERENCES37

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

The current study deals with the observation of displaced manufacturing workers in their transition for successful re-employment through community college education/retraining programs. It elaborates upon the provision of the educational programs for mobilizing the immobile workers in a successful manner. This chapter gives a description of the background, aims, objectives and chapter layout on which the entire dissertation will be based.

Background

Few American workers will remain unaffected by profound economic and technological forces rapidly reshaping the American work structure. For many workers, job security is threatened by plant closures or relocation. Technological displacement is occurring in many industries, particularly heavy industrial areas, as the nation's economy becomes increasingly based on service and information related work. According to Choate (1982), this structural shift began in New England in the 1920s, gathered momentum in that sub region through the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, and began to alter the Midwestern economy in the late 1970s. Many United States industries are faced with the decision ...