Tuition-free training shows laid-off workers we’re making good on Wichita’s Promise
Tuition-free training for laid-off aviation workers?
Please and thank you — and let’s not stop there.
Wichita-area leaders announced Friday that WSU Tech will offer free certificate programs for workers affected by layoffs related to the indefinite grounding of the Boeing 737 Max.
The school and its partners will cover tuition for 2,800-plus workers laid off from Spirit AeroSystems or other companies, enabling them to learn a new skill, complete a certificate or finish their associate degree.
That’s the kind of tangible assistance that lets aviation workers know Wichita values them and wants them to stick around — and that we’re willing to fork over the cash and give them real reasons to stay.
During Friday’s announcement, WSU Tech president Sheree Utash said the area’s current economic hardship is unique, and she’s right. Kansas’ connection to aviation in general and the Max in particular means we’re feeling the brunt of Boeing’s production shutdown.
After massive layoffs of hourly employees at Spirit AeroSystems last month, salaried employees are getting calls this week telling them they no longer have jobs at the south Wichita plant. Add that to countless more layoffs at companies all the way down the Spirit supply chain, and it’s shaping up to be a bleak year for Wichita.
But Wichita has weathered downturns in the past, and we will again, Utash said.
“There will be a bigger story coming out of all this, and that’s the story of Wichita coming together to ensure that we are uplifting and upholding and supporting our companies that are going through all this stress,” she said. “And also all the people that have been affected.”
Some may see WSU Tech’s offer as an opportunity to get a certificate in aviation maintenance or a related field. Others may decide to switch careers and pursue one of WSU Tech’s other programs. Either way, free tuition is hard to beat.
Less than two years ago, the Wichita Community Foundation partnered with WSU Tech and paid people to move to Wichita to train for high-demand jobs in aviation. Some of those people uprooted their lives, moved to Wichita, completed their training and got jobs — and then got laid off.
It’s only right that Wichita make good on its Wichita Promise, and that means making sure laid-off workers get the help they need.
Another worthwhile effort are proposals in the Kansas Legislature that would let some laid-off workers apply for unemployment benefits sooner and receive them longer. Those pieces of legislation — House Bills 2565 and 2566 — deserve the full, enthusiastic support of lawmakers.
Keith Lawing, president and CEO of the Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas, said his group and more than a dozen other organizations in the Air Capital Commitment task force are focused on doing “what we need to do to remain economically viable” for employees as well as employers.
Friday’s announcement shows that commitment in the form of tuition-free training workers can really use.