Canadian Valley Offers Aircraft Maintenance Training to Tire Plant Employees

EL RENO, Oklahoma -- The Canadian Valley Technology Center soon will have classes operating 24 hours a day, all in an effort to help workers laid off by Bridgestone/Firestone's Dayton Tire plant late last year.

The technology center's Aviation Maintenance Technology program is offering an 18-month airframe and power plant training course for people accustomed to working the second and third shift. The second shift course begins Jan. 15 followed by the third shift course Feb. 19. Bill Hulsey, director of Business & Industry Services for the technology center, said the new program allows flexibility in the retraining of a valuable workforce.

"We're trying to take care of our residents in Canadian Valley," Hulsey said. "It's a concentrated response and effort to get these people turned around as soon as possible and get them back into the work force."

He said about 400 Canadian Valley residents worked at Dayton Tire, which closed last month, leaving about 1,400 people without jobs.

"They are all going to have to do something else," Hulsey said of the former Dayton employees.

The Canadian Valley Technology Center did a phone campaign and direct mailings to see what workers wanted their "something else" to be, and the response was almost unanimous: aircraft maintenance.

Rick Townsend, vice president of sales, marketing and customer support for AAR Corp., an Oklahoma City company that does aircraft maintenance, said he is not surprised workers are choosing the aerospace industry for their new career.

The state's growing aerospace industry has seen a growing gap in its workforce, especially in the areas of engineers and maintenance technicians. Townsend said the industry needs retrained workers as much as the workers need the industry.

Spots in Canadian Valley Technology Center's daytime aviation course immediately filled up as soon as Dayton began laying off employees, Hulsey said. With only enough room to teach one six-hour class at a time, the Canadian Valley Technology Center decided to expand its hours and provide more flexibility for students.

The center hired two additional instructors to accommodate the extended hours. Workforce Oklahoma, with the help of the federal Trade Readjustment Assistance program, is paying for the cost of the program ? nearly $10,000 ? for Dayton employees. Each class has 18 students. The second shift class is filled, but Hulsey said there are still some available spots in the third shift class.

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