Robin Dalton's third manufacturing job definitely was not "a charm." But then, neither were her two previous factory jobs.

Over the course of 21 years, each of her manufacturing jobs ended in a permanent layoff. Robin's third job officially ended in July 2000 when Wolfe County's Celestica Corporation moved its operations to the Czech Republic and Mexico.

Robin decided that returning to manufacturing was no longer an option, and enrolled at Morehead State University (MSU), where she earned an associate's degree in applied business with the help of Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Dislocated Worker funds and other federal assistance. With their assistance, Robin ensured she would not feel the familiar sting of a manufacturing layoff again.

Today, Robin is the program coordinator for the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program's operations in Morgan and Menifee counties. Robin is responsible for the placement and support of about 50 senior citizens who do volunteer work at hospitals and nursing homes, and tutor high school students. She also serves in a public relations capacity by giving presentations about the non-profit program to civic organizations and distributing articles and photos to area newspapers.

"I really love my job and totally enjoy it," Robin said. "Of course I have fun meeting and working with our participants, and I like doing the articles for the newspaper, too. They let people know that we're out here and what we do."

As she stays busy, the diploma that hangs in her office at MSU's West Liberty Campus is a daily reminder of how she transcended the past, and how the WIA was there to help her when she became a full-time college student at the age of 45.

"I had always wanted to go back to school, even when I was working, but it's hard to work and pay to go to school, and have a life too," Robin said. "I was one of those people who fell through the cracks; I was single with no children, and I made too much money to get financial aid but not enough to pay for college.

"But after losing that last job, I decided I had to try to seize the opportunity to go back to school," she continued.

After her July 2000 layoff, Robin immediately enrolled full-time in college, rather than seeking another job and trying to juggle school and work. The nature of Celestica's closing made her eligible to receive full funding for her tuition and books under a provision of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). However, the NAFTA funding didn't put gas in her car, and plenty was needed for the nearly 80-mile round-trip daily commute from her home near West Liberty to MSU, she chuckled.

Then WIA came into the picture. Word-of-mouth prompted Robin to check into the WIA Dislocated Worker Program provided by the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP) and administered locally by the Gateway Community Service Organization (Gateway CSO). Just prior to enrolling at MSU, Robin met with Case Manager Sidney Castle at Gateway and enrolled in the program. The program's supportive services covered the daily gas and food expenses associated with her college experience.

Robin has no trouble spelling out exactly what WIA funding meant to her during her two years of study.

"My NAFTA funding paid my tuition, and my Unemployment Insurance benefits kept a roof over my head," she said. "But having the WIA money meant that if I had an hour between classes, I had the money to go to lunch and eat.

"There were a lot of times I would be just about broke," Robin continued, "and it would be time for that WIA check to come in. I would be looking forward to it because it would make the difference in getting gas or not getting gas."

Robin said without WIA, earning her degree would have been far more difficult.

"I would have had to pinch a lot more pennies, and keeping a roof over my head would have been much, much harder," she said. WIA eliminated that worry.

Any worries Robin might have had about finding a post-graduation job were also quickly quashed. Through a connection she made during a work-study job at MSU, Robin learned the university was looking for someone to fill the program coordinator's job with the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program. Robin applied, interviewed, and was offered the job on the spot. She began working in October 2002, nearly two months before she graduated with her associate's degree.

"When I first heard about the job, I was thinking that if I had my degree already, it would be so good," Robin said. "But the way things worked out, it all came together perfectly anyway."

Robin said that when she worked in manufacturing her future always looked tenuous at best. Now she sees her future as bright and full of promise. She said she hopes to work with the program for as long as she can.

Robin is grateful for the success and stability her education has afforded her. Sidney said she is not at all surprised about how successful Robin has been.

"I knew she was going to make it when I first met her," Sidney said. "I'm very proud of her, and she worked very hard."

When others suffer layoffs at area plants, Robin steers them to Sidney to learn how the WIA Dislocated Worker Program can help them. After the recent closure of another large manufacturing plant in Wolfe County, Robin also took information on MSU's associate's degree programs to the job site so employees could start thinking about getting retrained for new careers.

"I tell them that I don't know exactly what they'll qualify for, but Sidney will be able to help them in some way," Robin said.

"Every bit of WIA assistance helps," she added. "It can make the difference in them getting back and forth to class, or not being able to go at all."