As Ford plant waned, many workers slow to prepare

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Ford announced it would close its St. Paul assembly plant in 2006, but when the fateful day arrived last month, many of the 800 workers there still didn’t have a plan for their next job.

The state has offered help for workers to write resumes and sharpen their interviewing skills. Subsidized job training programs have been available for years.

But workers at the plant say working 50 hours a week left them with little energy to look for another job, especially one that would pay less than the $28 an hour they made at Ford.

The plant had 1,800 employees in 2006, but state figures show only about 300 have finished the state’s dislocated worker training. The good news: 90 percent of those got jobs.