Latest news with #NationalJobCorpsAssociation
Axios
4 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Job Corps shutdown would displace thousands of young trainees
The Trump administration's move to shutter the nation's largest job training program for low-income youth has been blocked — at least for now — by a federal judge. Why it matters: Job Corps, which served over 29,000 students this year, has long been a lifeline for low-income youth — especially in underserved communities — offering job training, housing, and a path forward. The program was set to shutter June 30. Wednesday's federal court decision temporarily halts those closures, offering reprieve for students, staff and cities nationwide. Driving the news: U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter ruled that the administration lacked congressional authority to abruptly terminate the 60-year-old program, issuing a preliminary injunction while the lawsuit proceeds. What they're saying: The National Job Corps Association said Wednesday's preliminary injunction "is a lifeline." "It returns some stability to students who were displaced — some living in shelters — and to the communities that rely on Job Corps for skilled workers." State of play: Job Corps centers were set to close include locations in cities with large Black populations— like Cleveland, Gary, Miami, New Orleans, and Brooklyn —where the program has been an essential resource for underserved youth. Zoom in: Job Corps, though created under Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty, isn't just a relic of the past. It's still shaping lives and has trained more than two million youth over six decades. Former students have gone on to become electricians, nurses and small business owners. Case in point: George Foreman, one of its earliest success stories, once said the program " saved my life." The big picture: The Trump administration's plan to shutter contractor-run Job Corps centers by June 30 has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge. The lawsuit argues the closures are illegal without congressional approval. Zoom out: The cutbacks mirror broader federal rollbacks on diversity initiatives, education equity, and youth mental health investments under Trump 2.0. The latest: Job Corps closures are hitting major cities hard — including the Atlanta area, Detroit, Chicago, Florida, New York and the Bay Area — where thousands of students ages 16–24 rely on the program for both job training and housing. Some were left scrambling after losing federal contracts; centers abruptly shut their doors. What they're saying: Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, one of the country's largest unions, said the AFT is working with government, labor, and industry to expand high-quality, paid apprenticeships — a critical pathway for the 40% of students who don't attend college. She called the Trump administration's move to pause Job Corps "cruel and destabilizing," adding: "If you care about giving young people a shot at a better life, you don't kick them out on the street." "We urge the administration: Do not turn your backs on these students." The other side: The Labor Department says the program is underperforming, citing a $213M deficit, low graduation rates, and serious safety issues as reasons for the pause. A spokesperson told Axios the department is "working closely with the Department of Justice to evaluate and comply with the temporary restraining order." "We remain confident that our actions are consistent with the law," they said. Between the lines: The Trump administration has promoted rising wages for blue-collar workers. But critics say gutting Job Corps — a longstanding training pipeline — undercuts that progress and disproportionately harms Black and Brown youth. Marcus W. Robinson, a DNC spokesperson, said the program has long been a lifeline for young Black men. In 2024, nearly 50% of Job Corps participants were Black youth, according to federal data. "Trump's repeated attempts to slash it aren't just policy choices — they're attacks on Black progress," he said. "If he gets his way, another pathway to opportunity will be closed — and that seems to be the goal."
Mint
7 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Trump's plan to shut Job Corps - key underprivileged training programme - blocked by federal judge: All you need to know
A US judge on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump's administration from shutting down Job Corps, a major residential job training program for low-income youth. U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter in Manhattan said the abrupt shuttering of the 60-year-old program by the U.S. Department of Labor without authorization from Congress was likely illegal. The ruling came in a lawsuit by the National Job Corps Association, a trade group for contractors who operate Job Corps sites, and some of its members. Carter issued a preliminary injunction stopping the Labor Department from ending the program pending the outcome of the lawsuit, extending an emergency ruling he issued earlier in June.
Reuters
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US judge extends block on Trump's bid to eliminate Job Corps program
June 25 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Wednesday extended a temporary order stopping President Donald Trump's administration from shutting down Job Corps, a major residential job training program for low-income youth. U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter in Manhattan said the abrupt shuttering, opens new tab of the 60-year-old program by the U.S. Department of Labor without authorization from Congress was likely illegal. The ruling came in a lawsuit by the National Job Corps Association, a trade group for contractors who operate Job Corps sites, and some of its members. Carter blocked the Labor Department from ending the program pending the outcome of the lawsuit, extending an emergency ruling he issued earlier in June. Job Corps was created by Congress in 1964 and allows people aged 16-24 from disadvantaged backgrounds to obtain high school diplomas or an equivalent, vocational certificates and licenses, and on-the-job training. The program currently serves about 25,000 people at 120 Job Corps centers run by contractors and has a $1.7 billion budget. Shuttering the program is a small piece of a broader effort by Trump, a Republican, and his appointees to drastically shrink the federal bureaucracy, including by getting rid of some offices and agencies altogether. The Labor Department announced the end of the program in May, saying it was not cost-effective, had a low graduation rate and was not placing participants in stable jobs. The department also said there had been thousands of instances of violence, drug use and security breaches at Job Corps centers. The NJCA and other plaintiffs claim the Labor Department does not have the power to dismantle a program established and funded by Congress. Federal law allows the department to close individual Job Corps centers only after seeking public comment and notifying local members of Congress, according to the lawsuit. Ending Job Corps would have disastrous consequences for participants, contractors, and communities where centers are located, the plaintiffs said.
NBC News
05-06-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
'A gut punch': Job Corps alumni and faculty lament Trump administration cuts to the program
Mariyah Louis used to think she wouldn't make it to 27 years old. Louis was in the foster care system as a teenager before turning to Job Corps, a government-funded program that provides free career training to low-income students. Now, she owns an auto detailingbusiness — a success she attributed to her Job Corps experience. "I was able to pretty much rebuild my whole life, whereas most foster youth do not have that many opportunities coming out of a situation like that, and I've been independent, taking care of myself since 17," said Louis, who is now 27. Last week, the Labor Department said it would pause Job Corps operations at 99 contract-operated centers by the end of June, leaving thousands of students in limbo. Now, program alumni and faculty are anxious about the looming end date as they scramble to provide assistance to students who have also relied on Job Corps for free housing and food. The closures are part of President Donald Trump's sweeping attempt to reduce the federal workforce through mass layoffs, department closings and reorganizations. The efforts, some of which have been halted by federal judges, were framed as necessary to trim outsize government spending, but critics argued the cuts targeted vital sectors, jeopardizing Americans' safety and health. The National Job Corps Association and other groups joined to sue the Labor Department on Tuesday, urging the court to block the department from pausing Job Corps. The cuts have alumni like Louis anxious about where the program's current students will go next. Louis was 17 when she entered the foster care system in Michigan, where she remained until she aged out at 18. She said that she did not have "a good relationship with school because of that transition into foster care," but her interest in Job Corps piqued after a friend attended. After Louis enrolled, she began working with a trade instructor who became a parental figure. "I will never forget that man," she said. "He was way beyond a trade instructor. For me, he was a mentor, like a real-life mentor." WJBK-TV of Detroit captured students carrying their belongings out of the center where Louis attended after the Labor Department announcement. Louis, who said she hasn't slept in days, started a Facebook group for alumni, staff and students to share resources and launched a GoFundMe to support people affected by the program's closure. "I feel like they're being robbed, and they're not going to have that experience that I had and where I am today, because being honest with you, I didn't think that I would make it to 27 years old. I did not, I can't," she said. "And I'm married and everything. I never would have saw this life for myself outside of foster care." In Astoria, Oregon, the Tongue Point Job Corps Center is still trying to find housing for more than two dozen students who were homeless before starting the program, according to Mac McGoldrick, the center's director. "There is a black cloud over this campus," McGoldrick said. "It is a heartbreaking thing to see." Reached for comment, a spokesperson for the Labor Department said that a "comprehensive review of Job Corps revealed significant systemic issues — including an alarming number of serious incidents, poor student outcomes, and unsustainable costs." The spokesperson, Courtney Parella, said that only 38% of students graduate from the program. The National Job Corps Association pushed back on this statistic last week, saying that "graduate rates were depressed by Covid-19 policies" and claimed that Job Corps graduation rates have historically been above 60%. NBC News has not independently verified either statistic. "Our priority is promoting success for every student and ensuring a safe transition during this pause," Parella said. "We've instructed center operators to work directly with the providers who helped students enroll and made it clear that there is no fixed deadline for transfers." Randolph Goodman has worked at the Gary Job Corps Center in San Marcos, Texas, for more than 30 years after retiring from the Navy. He said that there have "been a lot of problems" with the program, that "sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't." "But, you know, that's what we have to do," he said. "There's nobody else that does what we do. There's no vocational school that does it, no college that does it, none of that stuff." Roughly 3 million students have participated in Job Corps since its 1964 launch, studying industries ranging from manufacturing to hospitality, according to the program's archived website. The program targeted low-income students, providing them with access to free career training and education, housing, meals, basic medical care and a living allowance. In fiscal year 2024, the Labor Department spent $1.7 billion on Job Corps out of the department's $13.4 billion in discretionary funds, according to the department. Levi Golden, who studies seamanship at Tongue Point Job Corps, said the program's pause felt like a "gut punch." He got his final certification last month and his high school diploma on Tuesday. "If it weren't for Job Corps, I would never have gotten my high school diploma. I wouldn't have had the ability to get a good job," said Golden, who has a job lined up for July. He plans to travel to Alaska, where he will be a crew member on a tug boat pushing material up the Yukon River for several months. Golden, 24, enrolled in July 2023, and said Job Corps was "one of the best programs" he had experienced. "Ever since I was a little boy, I had always dreamed of working on the water, but I never actually knew where to start or how to get there," Golden said. He said that he believed "more than anything in my heart that this is a necessary program, and I hate to see it shut down." Advocates for the program have argued that Job Corps provides a way forward for teenagers who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. "I believe this program was sent by God to help people who are less fortunate," said Christopher Coupette, who graduated in 2016 from the Jobs Corps center in Pinellas County, Florida. "And it's sickened me, and I'm just sad to hear that it's being taken away." Coupette, 32, is now a wellness director at an assisted living facility and bemoaned that students would no longer be able to get free education in the program. "It helps you get on your feet," he said. "It doesn't hold your hand throughout your whole life. It helps you get ahead of life." Coupette lived in multiple households growing up, moving to live with his father after his mother died, and later moving in with his sister after his father "was not there for me." "I was just not happy there," he recalled. "I wanted something for myself or something. I don't know what I wanted to do with my life." He decided to participate in Job Corps based on his sister's experience in the program and "just fell completely in love with it." Now, Coupette lives in the same city where he participated in the program. He is pursuing a degree in nursing, has a daughter and is preparing to get married in December. "Everything started from Job Corps taking a bet on me and helping me climb the next ladder of life, so I'll forever be a Job Corps student," he said.
Reuters
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Judge blocks Trump administration's effort to eliminate Job Corps
NEW YORK, June 4 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Wednesday temporarily stopped the Trump administration from moving ahead with an effort to eliminate the Job Corps, the largest U.S. job training program for low-income youth. U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter in Manhattan issued a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit filed by a trade group representing contractors that operate Job Corps centers. Carter ordered the government not to terminate Job Corps contractors or stop work at Job Corps centers until a further ruling in the case, and he ordered the Labor Department to appear at a court hearing on June 17. The lawsuit alleges that the U.S. Department of Labor is violating federal law and its own regulations by abruptly shuttering the program, a plan the agency announced last week, opens new tab. Job Corps was created by Congress in 1964 and allows 16-to-24-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds to obtain high school diplomas or an equivalent, vocational certificates and licenses and on-the-job training. The program currently serves about 25,000 people at 120 Job Corps centers run by contractors. The Labor Department in announcing the end of the program said it was not cost effective, had a low graduation rate and was not placing participants in stable jobs. The department also said there had been thousands of instances of violence, drug use and security breaches at Job Corps centers. The National Job Corps Association and other plaintiffs in Tuesday's lawsuit said the Labor Department does not have the power to dismantle a program established and funded by Congress. Shuttering Job Corps is a small piece of a broader effort by Trump, a Republican, and his appointees to drastically shrink the federal bureaucracy, including by getting rid of some offices and agencies altogether.
