Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a notice that it is pausing operations at contractor-operated Job Corps centers across the country. With more than 120 centers across the country offering at-risk youth academic and career opportunities, the pause could have a big impact for these communities. On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA 2), joined by U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY 2), co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Job Corps Caucus, put together a letter signed by 199 members of Congress to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer pleading to continue the Job Corps program.
“Nearly 20,000 young people utilize Job Corps to learn skills for in-demand vocational and technical job training,” said the letter. “Job Corps is one of the few national programs that specifically targets the 16-24-year-old population that is neither working, nor in school, and provides them with a direct pathway into employment openings in industries such as manufacturing and shipbuilding. The program also connects these young Americans with apprenticeships, higher education opportunities, or the military.”
The move by the labor secretary and the Trump administration comes after Congress appropriated $1.8 billion to Job Corps programs in Fiscal Year 2024 and remains funded at the same level thanks to the Continuing Resolution passed in March. In Georgia, two centers are set to close, in Albany and Brunswick. The Department of Labor cited a report from April that noted increased costs per participant in the program – more than $80,000 per student per year – and other items, including crime rates.
Sec. Chavez-DeRemer pointed to the report and noted concerns about inefficiency. “Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training, and community,” said the secretary. “However, a startling number of serious incident reports and our in-depth fiscal analysis reveal the program is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve.”
Critics of the decision point out that the data from the report came from 2023, when Department of Labor rules related to the Covid-19 limiting enrollment had just been lifted and the lingering other impact from Covid disruption were still skewing data.
“As companies continue to onshore and invest in the men and women of our country, a steady stream of skilled laborers will be required to meet the growing workforce demand,” said the letter. “The Job Corps program is uniquely positioned to fill that role and provide these hardworking young Americans with the vocational and technical job training that will set them and our country up for success.”
Read the whole letter here: https://bishop.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/bishop.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/20250605letter_to-usdeptlaborsecchavesderemer-savejobcorps.pdf
