Publication: "I'm Not a Quitter": Job Training and Basic Education for Women Textile Workers

• Merrifield, Juliet
• Norris, Lachelle
• White, Loretta

	A case study was done on the effects of training programs
sponsored by the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) on 835
women textile workers dislocated by a plant closing in
Blount County, Tennessee. Data were gathered by former
workers through structured interviews with 100 women
typical by age (about 45-years-old) and length of service
(14-16 years) in the plant. About half of the women in the
sample enrolled in JTPA training programs or the high
school equivalency program. Most of the programs were of
short duration. The study found that the women who took the
additional training thought they had more options for
finding jobs; however, there were no significant
differences in employment status at the time of the
interview 20 months after the plant closing between those
who had enrolled in training and those who had not.
Although job training did open up new fields, a substantial
number of the women ended up back in manufacturing, most at
lower wages than they had been paid before. Nevertheless, a
majority of the women who had gone through job training said
they would do it again. Twelve recommendations were made,
among them that JTPA should plan training based on the
local job market, that the program should make individual
counseling available, that training programs should be
longer, and that low-cost health insurance and income
maintenance should be offered to allow dislocated workers
more time to train.