Columbus State Community College is planning to offer $500 scholarships to eligible unemployed or soon-to-be unemployed retail workers to help them take classes there that will prepare them for jobs in other industries.

The scholarships stem from a Retail Rapid Response Team authorized by Columbus State President David Harrison that is composed of more than a dozen experts at the college who have been meeting regularly to find ways to help recently laid-off retail workers as more and more shopping takes place online.

The team's mission, Harrison said in a statement, “is to plan assistance programs so these workers have options to quickly retrain — or retool — for new careers, especially in high-demand fields.”

Columbus State’s research shows an estimated 1,000 central Ohio retail workers will be affected by layoffs this year.

A similar layoff trend has developed nationally as retailers such as Macy's, hhgregg, The Limited and The Andersons have all announced layoffs. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports retail was the only major industry in the month of February to show significant layoffs.

The scholarships are renewable for as many as four terms when applied to credit-based training or classes. For non-credit training or classes, a one-time $500 scholarship is available.

The hope is that the scholarships and career assistance "will allow motivated workers to prepare a near-seamless transition from a retail position into a high-demand field where there’s growth and job openings," said Rebecca Butler, vice president of student enrollment, in a statement.

Potential fields of study include logistics, supply-chain management, state tested nursing assistants, real estate and a number of skilled trades, Butler said.

A webpage has been developed for the project at www.cscc.edu/retail.

A public presentation for interested retail workers will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. April 6 at Columbus State’s Reynoldsburg Regional Learning Center, 6699 E. Livingston Ave., Reynoldsburg.

tferan@dispatch.com

@timferan