The Job Corps program, our nation’s largest residential program serving disconnected youth, has been largely suspended. This important residential career training program for low-income and at-risk youth has abandoned at least 21,000 currently enrolled students. In late May, the Dept. Naturally, it sent shockwaves of fear and worry throughout staff and students at Job Corps centers nationwide. Because of the program’s abrupt cut-off, many students are quickly exposed to the cruel reality of going back to unpredictable housing situations.
Job Corps was established 60 years ago under President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, aimed at providing vocational training and education to help young people secure better jobs. The program has historically put power in the hands of youth to change the trajectory of their own lives. In the wake of the recent operational pause, the initiative’s future looks uncertain at best.
The announcement of the suspension threw staff into a panic to figure out how to best serve existing students. Most had to exit the program abruptly, with many back on the streets again. The uncertainty surrounding Job Corps has left students like Jasmine Geib and Chloe Lawson reflecting on their experiences and the program’s impact on their lives.
Former Students Share Their Experiences
Jasmine Geib, Union Pacific conductor She used to be a Job Corps student herself with aspirations of becoming a flight attendant. Geib was able to access higher education and skills training through Job Corps but discovered her niche with the railroad industry. As an apprentice, she went through a union-run training program based in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. This opportunity only opened up as a result of her experience at Job Corps.
I was taking a break from college. I wasn’t quite ready to return there. At a low point in my life after a bad breakup, I was lost—and had nowhere else to go. Geib explained. She agrees that the program needs reforming, but says shutting it down isn’t the answer.
“I feel like, if they need to do something, they can reform it; but I don’t think they should full-blown shut it down,” – Jasmine Geib
Chloe Lawson, now 21, expressed the same feelings about how vital the Holland Pathways program was for her. She is getting job interviews for train conductor jobs, beginning at $80k/year. So Lawson credits her success to the training that she got while in Job Corps, and she talks about how it positively impacted her life.
I’m not going to pretend that I was the hardest hit. Mary said. Most of the kids out here have been through much worse, and I’ve never been in trouble with the law. Before entering the program she was frank about her own challenges.
“But before Job Corps, I honestly had nothing. I had maybe 20 bucks to my name,” – Chloe Lawson
Lawson drove home the message that the program allowed her to go from a life with no future to a life that is full of possibility and promise.
The Broader Impact of Job Corps Suspension
This break in Job Corps operations should worry anyone that cares about our current and future labor market, as well as the shortage of skilled tradespeople. It is growing demand for workers with less than a bachelor’s that’s outpacing everything,” said Rachel Sederberg, a senior economist at Lightcast. She emphasized the essentiality of these occupations in keeping our economy running.
“We have a very strong need for those with less than a bachelor’s degree,” Sederberg remarked. She went further to explain how the suspension could worsen current labor shortages.
“These are very critical jobs for our economy and for our day-to-day as consumers,” – Rachel Sederberg
Sederberg cautioned that if this trend continues, it won’t be long before consumers are the ones paying the price.
“We’re going to start feeling it quite acutely if we aren’t able to get things in our homes fixed or it takes longer to get things manufactured and transported and into our stores,” – Rachel Sederberg
The lack of vocational training options could hinder young people’s ability to enter these essential fields, thereby affecting industries that rely on skilled labor.
Arthur Maratea, then national president of the Transportation Communications Union/IAM, expressed alarm. He is particularly concerned about the permanent damage their immediate closure would inflict on young people and communities. Unless we continue to have programs like Job Corps, he’s concerned that the shortage of apprenticeships—especially in the skilled trades—will become a crisis.
“It will definitely hurt the labor market, that I can tell you,” Maratea stated. Second, he acknowledged that many trades are already facing shortfalls.
“because going into the trades, there are not that many apprenticeships. We’re short electricians, we’re short on our carmen, we’re short everything,” – Arthur Maratea
The Path Forward for Job Corps
As discouraging as the suspension has been, there is reason for optimism about Job Corps’ future. A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction against the suspension late last month, permitting operations to resume temporarily. This ruling provides much-needed hope not just to current students, but to future students and advocates who believe in the program’s mission and purpose.
The Department of Labor is collaborating with state and local workforce partners to help support students impacted during this time. As DOL makes clear in their online FAQ, their goal here is to connect people with education opportunities. They assist them in getting jobs as they go through this process.
“The Department of Labor is collaborating with state and local workforce partners to assist current students in advancing their training and connecting them with education and employment opportunities,” – source: online FAQ from the Department of Labor
As former students such as Geib and Lawson display, winning programs like Job Corps have the power to change individual lives. They are convinced that all young people, especially those from less-advantaged backgrounds, need strong and sustained support to shape their futures.
“They’re helping kids that had no future make something of themselves instead of working at McDonald’s, instead of working at a low-paying job,” – Chloe Lawson
Sederberg notes that mentorship and stability provided by these programs make a world of difference for youth. Most of these young people never had the opportunity to try out the diverse sectors of today’s labor market.
“We know that those from less-advantaged backgrounds can benefit from additional mentorship, can benefit from stability that a job might provide and from understanding various parts of the labor market that they might not have been exposed to otherwise,” – Rachel Sederberg