Posted on 06/04/2025 10:13:59 AM PDT by Twotone
The Trump administration will be undertaking a "phased pause" at contractor-operated Job Corps centers across the country, which was recently found to have a low graduation rate and a high number of serious incident reports filed.
A press release from the Department of Labor stated that the pauses will occur at contractor-operated Job Corps centers by June 30, and will initiate "an orderly transition for students, staff, and local communities."
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement, "Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training, and community. 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. We remain committed to ensuring all participants are supported through this transition and connected with the resources they need to succeed as we evaluate the program’s possibilities."
Per Fox News, 99 of the 123 Job Corps centers across the United States are run by contractors. The remaining 24 centers run by the US Department of Agriculture will not be affected by the pauses. Officials said that contracts with those administering the 99 centers will be terminated during the pause.
During the phased suspension, students will be connected to other resources and registered within the American Job Center closest to their home, as well as the Labor Exchange system in their respective home states.
In the 2025 fiscal year, the Jobs Corps will cost taxpayers $1.7 billion. In program year 2024, the program operated at a $140 million deficit, which is expected to rise to $213 in program year 2025.
A transparency report released in April found that the average graduation rate for the program in the most recently available year, 2023, was 38.6 percent, with head graduating student costing on average $155,600.74.
Following the program, participants earn on average $16,695 per year.
The transparency report also found that 14,913 serious incident reports had been filed for the 2023 program year, including 372 reports for inappropriate sexual behavior and sexual assault, 1,764 reports for acts of violence, 1,167 reports for breaches of safety or security, and 2,702 reports for drug use.
I think this points out a good argument for why Trump can stop spending money on federal programs. The liberal argument is that if Congress approved spending, the President has to spend the money. He doesn’t have authority to not spend what Congress approved. But if the program does not work as intended, or if there is fraud or corruption, or any Executive discretion, then Trump can stop the spending. The President should not have to spend money on a program that isn’t working as it is supposed to.
**The President should not have to spend money on a program that isn’t working as it is supposed to.**
Same with Head Start. Add to it the Peace Corps-countries are still $hitholes. Then there’s Americorps.
Liberals expect a specific outcome from their programs. When they fail, more money needs to be spent. I think we all know what the problem with this program is, but it isn’t proper to say it.
Or programs that weren’t the federal government’s business at all?
Founded by President Kennedy, Job Corps is a classic example of a poorly conceived federal program that should have been abolished years ago, but it’s impossible to get rid of because of special interests, including the corporations that operate the centers.
I have a solution. Make high schools high school again. Stop using them as warehouses for thugs in training.
Taking those thugs out of school and putting them in the so called job corps is not the answer (when I read there were incidents I figure these were more along the “do muffin” variety than not). Yes, get them out of the schools that should be obvious. But why think they will change in some program? Surely their must be some tasks available for them now that Trump has deported so many illegal entrants.
Having experience teaching a trade course for a number of years at a Job Corp site, the incident perps are from many groups including gang members from Puerto Rico. The programs are basically a holding area for miscreants where we pay room and board as well as provide free clothing and other perks. For our program location state law prevents those with certain felonies on their records from getting licensed in the trade but the Job Corp site director said we were discriminating if we didn’t allow them in the course. Thug behavior of course followed. There was a small percentage of participants that wanted to get ahead and we had some success with that group but often the serious students were harrassed and even threatened because they followed the rules to the point that they left the program for safety reasons. There has to be a way to help the few who really want to learn and work without the enormous waste of money that is the Job Corp.
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