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After
several years of declining sales and financial difficulties, the
general aviation industry began to recover in the late 1980s and
led a strong expansion of Wichita's economy. Not all segments of
the population shared in that recovery, however, and the economic
gap between those with jobs and those considered unemployable actually
widened.
To
Cessna Chairman Russ Meyer, the situation called for a special commitment
to train this segment of Wichita for meaningful employment. However,
recognizing that many such training programs had not been successful,
he committed Cessna to develop a specially constructed program that
would enable Wichita's unemployed to prepare themselves for jobs
and go on to achieve economic self-sufficiency and productive careers.
The
21st Street Program
The
program opened its doors to the first class of 21st Street trainees
in December 1990. Housed in a renovated grocery store which had
been vacant for nine years, the 21st Street program successfully
demonstrated the practical benefits of its training operations for
more than six years at the original location.
During
this period, the program won the confidence of Cessna, along with
the respect of community leaders and the interest of many officials
of the state and federal government.
The
Cessna 21st Street Campus
The
new Cessna 21st Street Campus, which opened in October 1997, enabled
Cessna to expand the scope of training and provide many jobs right
in the neighborhood.
The
expanded program, which is housed in two new facilities, Subassembly
and the Learning Center, is specifically aimed at removing barriers
to success that have been observed over the past years. Affordable,
dependable day care, a positive living environment for trainees
who need it, and jobs targeted for area residents all substantially
increase the positive impact of the training program.
The
Subassembly Facility
The
Subassembly Facility at the new Cessna 21st Street Campus is an
important part of the company's overall manufacturing capability.
Those
assigned to the Subassembly Facility are subject to the same rules,
policies and inspection procedures for the work they do as any other
Cessna employee in any other part of the company. The spacious Subassembly
Facility is especially designed for the tasks which are performed
there. Half of the employees at the Subassembly Facility are from
the 21st Street neighborhood and a significant number are graduates
of the 21st Street Training Program.
The
Learning Center
The
Learning Center is the building that houses both training and day
care. Sheet metal assembly training and clerical instruction take
place in the Training Center and day care is in the Child Development
Center.
Sheet
Metal Training
The
21st Street Campus sheet metal training is distinctive in the assumptions
it makes about the people it serves.
The
curriculum is flexible in responding to the needs of the students,
and length of training is driven by the individual trainee's skills,
experience and ability to learn. The program is generally assumed
to require six months-but trainees may need less or more time to
complete it.
Trainees
directly enter the vocational segment. They are compensated and
covered by a benefits package when they begin training. Success
in the vocational training program leads to subassembly work on
the campus or to jobs in one of Cessna's manufacturing plants in
Wichita.
The
Child Development Center
The
Child Development function of the Learning Center provides day care
for as many as 40 children.
The
mature trees and lawns of the campus offer an ideal setting for
day care as well as adult training. The opportunity for trainees
and workers to have their children cared for in a safe and nurturing
environment in the same location as the training center and adjacent
to the Subassembly Facility allows them to concentrate fully on
the tasks at hand, and provides a timesaving convenience.
Short-Term
Campus Housing
Refurbished
residential cottages on the campus are used to provide temporary
housing for those unable to make a transition into the program from
their own homes.
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