May 25, 1997|By Joe Nawrozki | Joe Nawrozki,SUN STAFF
Five years ago, a drab two-story building in Essex stood as an incongruous international model for excellence in training displaced workers in Baltimore County's rust belt and preparing welfare recipients for the job market.
The center, housed in converted furniture and variety stores, was given the Job Training Partnership Act Presidential Award by Lynn Martin, U.S. secretary of labor at the time. That was one of many honors received by the center, which also attracted attention in Europe and the Soviet Union.
But July 1, nearly two dozen employees at the Career Development Center on Eastern Boulevard -- in the heart of the county's most economically depressed region -- will lose their jobs as an out-of-state contractor takes over the center on a $250,000 annual contract.
Some say the change at the center, now operated by the county and Essex Community College, is insignificant; its $400,000 federal grant will continue, as will training.
Others, such as Edward Ziegenfuss of the Essex-Middle River Chamber of Commerce, say the center's staffers, employees of Essex Community College, were "considered a keystone to our community, a bunch of fine people who know the local problems."
"The irony is, the very people who were doing training for new jobs now find themselves updating their resumes," he said.
Doris Andrews-Morgan, a counselor at the center, said, "The viable purpose that this program served in this community is lost. It benefited the clients, the businesses along the boulevard. It provided a sense of purpose and pride to the staff. Now all that is gone."
Patricia Rosso, a computer information manager, said, "I'm 58. Where do I go? Where do I start over?"
Officials say the center, which has trained more than 5,000 people since it opened in 1983, failed to meet federal requirements for the $400,000 grant.
The federal government shut off funding because performance measurements, including retention of job placements and obtaining employer-assisted health benefits, were not met in the past year.
Current and former staff members and officials also contend that the center suffered from leadership problems and from clients who were increasingly difficult to place and maintain in jobs.
Councilman Louis L. DePazzo, a Dundalk Democrat, said, "Somebody killed the golden egg. No private vendor is going to )) do any better than these local folks did."
When the center opened, Dundalk and Essex community
colleges provided $310,000 each, and the federal government kicked in $800,000. The federal funding had dwindled in recent years because of congressional budget cuts.
In the 1980s, the center at 431 Eastern Blvd. was featured on Soviet television in a show on reforming the workplace.
The center, which has open teaching areas and more than 100 computers, also was visited by job counselors from Norway and Germany who left saying they were impressed with the quality of the staff and its work.
Students come mostly from Baltimore County, although some live in the city. They are tested for academic skills and take remedial courses if needed. Students can choose four- to six-month training programs in office and bookkeeping skills, drafting and computer operations.
They must attend the training program five days a week; the last week is devoted to job hunting.
Those who have personal problems can also get help through the center. Because the program is designed to duplicate real job conditions, students must adhere to a dress code, go to class on time and speak and behave in a professional manner while in training.
"I learned my multiplication tables, how to write a letter, punch in on time every morning at the center," said Linda Vlakos, 40, a single mother from Rosedale who will graduate Friday.
"I've been on welfare for three years, and I can't wait to get off public assistance and get a job. They built my confidence. I started from the ground up. I think I have a future. These people here were great, and I'm wondering how strangers can make a difference here."
Not all of the center's clients were as ambitious as Vlakos, say those who worked there.
"The biggest problem was, we accepted everybody who came to the door rather than assessing whether they could benefit from the training," said Marguerite Walsh, the director. "Some needed longer time than what we had to offer."
Joseph Shopulski, a former director, said, "It became tougher to bridge the gap between the dislocated worker and traditional welfare recipient with no work history or skills."
And Gwyn Nicholson, who headed the center from 1995 to 1996, said the center's clients "were unemployed most of their lives, and we were trying to turn it around in six months."
"There were some success stories, but others were just trying to beat the system. If they didn't make the appearance of following through on a job, they would lose their public assistance and food stamps.
