Losing your job - it's a scenario played out all too often these days. People in a wide variety of professions are being laid off in great numbers, many of whom have been working for years in their chosen profession.
It's difficult enough for young adults or people who are still in school. But for adults over 30, who may have been working in a career they expected to stay in for the foreseeable future, the experience may be more than traumatic. Unemployment may require starting from ground zero in a rapidly changing job market.
Making progress in such circumstances often requires that people learn new skills. One option is the Seattle Vocational Institute's (SVI) retraining program, which has attracted growing numbers of students, most of whom are between the ages of 30 and 50, who have signed up to acquire skills that will lead to future employment.
"Our worker-retraining program is meant for adults who want or need to switch careers," said Norward Brooks, SVI's executive dean. "When the downturn happened and people became unemployed, we saw great increases in the number of people who wanted to come here."
The Seattle Vocational Institute began as the privately operated Seattle Opportunities and Industrialization Center in the early '70s. That organization later filed for bankruptcy, and the state purchased the building. It was reopened as the SVI in the early '90s, with a primary focus to offer vocational training primarily to lower-income or disadvantaged people. The institute has roughly 800 full-time students, with several hundred more who study part-time.
The retraining program currently serves nearly 180 students, a number that has grown since the economic downturn began last fall. So far, Brooks said, SVI has been able to accommodate everyone who has wanted to sign up.
The SVI is directly affiliated with Seattle Community Colleges and is particularly connected to Seattle Central Community College, located on Broadway and close to SVI's Central Area location. The college collaborates with business, labor, government and community groups as well.
Most courses are a year in length, but some are longer; the cosmology program, for instance, runs five quarters. The institute does not offer two-year degrees but instead grants certificates upon completion. For students wishing to transfer to a community college, most of the credits will count toward a two-year associate degree.
A broad range of vocational choices are on offer. Programs in the medical field are popular - dental assistants, for instance, are in high demand - as is a program that focuses on network systems maintenance and repair. An apprentice program has been set up that leads to work in the construction industry. SVI also offers GED programs for people who did not received a high school diploma.
Greater challenges
Brooks said that older students often face greater discouragement when they face unemployment. Perhaps they have never been laid off before, or perhaps they're worried that their age will prevent them from finding work in the future and people who are younger or have changed jobs more frequently don't tend to be as discouraged when they lose their job because they're more accustomed to moving on to the next opportunity.
According to Brooks, the SVI makes a great effort to help students find work after they've completed vocational training. He pointed to a network of employers who take on students in related fields for 10-week internships. The former students shadow workers and get hands-on experience. The school, in turn, gets feedback on how well its students are being prepared for a new work environment.
"I think the way things used to be, where people had jobs forever, have changed," Brooks said. "A lot of it is the economy, and a lot of it is due to new technology. So it's not just retraining that becomes important, but continuing education as well, keeping your skills up. More of this will be required throughout the workforce."
The Seattle Vocational Institute is at 2120 S. Jackson St. Call 587-4950 or go to http://sviweb.sccd.ctc.edu/.
Doug Schwartz can be reached at editor@capitolhilltimes.com or 461-1308.
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