By Stephanie Brien
Journal Times | Posted: Thursday, October 2, 2008 12:00 am
RACINE - Help is available for people who have lost their jobs.
That was the message Mark Mundl, strategic coordinator for the Racine County Workforce Development Center, presented to former Alloc employees on Wednesday.
On Friday, the Norwegian-based flooring company laid off 14 employees at its Racine branch, said Dan Mouw, Alloc's human resources director.
"The company is changing its business model and they are approaching their distribution differently," Mouw said. Alloc is going to ship products directly to its distributors rather than sending the products to Racine first, he said.
There are 12 employees still working at Alloc's Racine branch, and Mouw said he does not know what the company's future is in the city.
Modine, a thermal management company, also announced Wednesday that it will be cutting 20 positions, most of them effective immediately.
Mouw is still employed with Alloc, but he knows what it feels like to lose his job. He was among the 200-plus employees who lost their jobs in 2004 when Color Arts closed.
He said someone once told him that losing a job is the best experience human resources
directors can undergo because of what they learn from it.
One of the things he learned was the benefit of the Workforce Development Center.
"They are here to help you," Mouw told his former Alloc co-workers. "(But) at the end of the day it's up to you."
All 10 of the employees gathered Wednesday are starting from the same point, but their journeys are going to be very different, Mundl said.
Some people may want to go back to school, while others may only want to tune their interview and computer skills. Either way the Workforce Development Center can help, he said.
Losing a job doesn't have to be the end of the road. The center offers people an opportunity to earn their General Equivalency Diploma if they do not have a high school diploma and people who lost their jobs because of outsourcing can receive even more education.
Just earning the equivalency of a high school diploma can increase the percentage of available jobs for an individual from 12.5 to 60 percent, Mundl said.
One of the people who attended the presentation, Mike Hellesen, Alloc's former claims administrator, said he plans on going back to school to become a physical engineer. It is something he thought about for a while, but has never been able to afford until now, said Hellesen, 25.
Dean Aceto, 26, Alloc's former information technology specialist, has accepted his fate and is also optimistic about the future.
"I can't be bitter," Aceto said. "I guess it is what it is. I can't change it."
With his skills, he believes he will be able to find another job. He has already applied for an information technology position at Kenosha Unified.
While he is confident about his own prospects, he said he feels for some of his other older co-workers who may not be able to find jobs as easily.
What to do if you lose your job
Apply for unemployment as soon as possible. Call (800) 822-5246 or go to: http://www.ucclaim-wi.org
Create or update your resumé. For assistance call the Workforce Development Center at (262) 638-6428 or (262) 638-6404.
Let people know you lost your job and ask if they know about any opportunities.
Be prepared to interview. Learn how to present your skills.
Don't wait to apply for jobs. Start as soon as possible.
Source: Mark Mundl, Racine County Workforce Development Center