From WGME-Channel 13 (Portland)
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By the spring of 2011 Brunswick will be a completely different town as the Naval Air Station closes for good.
With the base closure…thousands will have to find a new place to work…and in a tough economy it likely won't be easy.
That's where re-training programs come in to play…hoping to reshape the workforce.
The Base Realignment and Closure Commission Transition Center has career counselors on hand to help civilians who work on the base find jobs.
And so far the center says it's helped thousands learn there is life after the base is gone.
The center on base sees at least a dozen people a day all wondering how they can become more employable in an already tough job market.
The center says its spent close to half a million dollars in federal funds sending people, like Matt Newcomb back to school to get the required credits to finish up a degree program.
Matt is a civilian police officer on base and is now getting a business degree to give himself more options when he starts to look for a new job.
The schooling is free…as is the advice from the counselors.
The transition center also holds workshops on resume writing and negotiating skills…adding some who work on the base have done so for decades and have not had to actively apply for a job in all that time.
So, the hope is by adding workshops to the list of services more can find jobs when the base closes for good in 2011.
Making The Transition: Life After NAS Brunswick Closes
