Plant closure means fresh start for BCC student
Catrina Davis of Alliance began in the BCC adult education heavy equipment/CDL A operator program in August 2019 after losing her job in March at the Lordstown Assembly plant, which created the Chevrolet Cruze.
A student attending Buckeye Career Center in New Philadelphia is embarking on a future career she never thought she would need at 57 years old. Catrina Davis of Alliance began in the BCC adult education heavy equipment/CDL A operator program in August 2019 after losing her job in March at the Lordstown Assembly plant, creating the Chevrolet Cruze.
Davis was employed there for 16 years, most recently serving as an assembly line coordinator. “We just figured they would pull through and stay open, maybe with a new product. Nobody knew anything,” Davis said. “They announced right before Thanksgiving break that the doors were closing but not the entire plant.”
Davis was offered a transfer to a Missouri plant but declined that option.
This wasn’t the first time Davis had experienced this kind of disappointment. Her former employer, American Steel Foundries, where she worked as a crane and machine operator, closed its doors in 2001.
“I had to start all over and got hired two years later in 2003 at Lordstown,” Davis said.
Davis assumed she would finish her career at Lordstown, which is still possible, should Lordstown Motors, which recently purchased the plant, choose to hire back former employees.
Davis is still technically a General Motors employee because the plant was unallocated, allowing her to continue collecting money toward retirement. In the meantime she worked with OhioMeansJobs centers and the local union hall.
“Our TPA reps and union hall were pushing schooling. I was trying to decide what I wanted to do. I really didn’t want to come back to school at my age,” Davis said.
Davis began her own research and ultimately found the adult education heavy equipment/CDL A program at BCC. “I’ve always been good at running stuff and can pretty much drive anything. So I could get my CDL and either go with heavy equipment, truck driving or both. For me it was a good option,” she said.
Meanwhile, tuition and fees for the BCC heavy equipment program typically cost a student $12,000, with financial aid available for those who qualify. Davis’ unique situation allowed her to apply for the federal Trade Adjustment Assistance program, which according to the U.S. Department of Labor, provides aid to workers who lose their jobs or whose hours of work and wages are reduced as a result of increased imports.
Jennifer Meek Eells, executive director to the Stark Tuscarawas Workforce Development Board, which oversees the OhioMeansJobs centers in both Canton and New Philadelphia, said the Lordstown GM plant idling impacted workers from the entire region.
"Affected workers like Ms. Davis found assistance through the OhioMeansJobs centers and the public workforce system to regain an edge to their job search through training and upskilling," Meek Eells said. "OhioMeansJobs centers can assist job seekers in connecting with federal resources such as TAA and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funding so that they can access training and secure more current certifications that will lead them right back to an in-demand job locally, making the same or even more money in wages that they did before they were dislocated. We are very fortunate in both Stark and Tuscarawas counties to have strong partnerships with training entities like Buckeye Career Center who strive to offer training targeted to help their students secure high wage, in-demand jobs after they complete their programs."
Davis is unsure of her future plans but is happy to have a career to fall back on if needed. “I feel positive, and I think I could get a good job, but I still have options through General Motors,” she said.
One of her instructors, Don Young, has no doubt in his mind Davis will find success should she choose to pursue a career as an operator or go back to GM. Davis has passed her temporary CDL tests and will soon apply for an apprenticeship opportunity with the Ohio Operating Engineers Apprenticeship and Training.
As for being one of just two women in the program, Young said Davis stands out as one of his best students. “If I show her what to do, she picks up on it right away,” Young said. “She has the mentality of wanting to learn and a desire to learn. If you have that want and desire, you are going to go a long way. That’s a quality you have to have in this line of work."
As part of the nine-month class, Davis is learning to run a track excavator, rubber tire hoe, track skid steer, track dozer and commercial semi-trucks. She has the opportunity to earn her Class A commercial driver license, OSHA 10 certification, SafeLandUSA Basic certification, a career-technical certificate and CPR/first aid certificate. Davis is on track to walk the stage at graduation in May 2020.
For more information about Buckeye Career Center and the high school and adult education programs, visit www.buckeyecareercenter.org or call 330-339-2288.
BCC is located at 545 University Drive NE in New Philadelphia.