"'A Heavy Blow': Job Corps Graduates and Staff Mourn Potential Threats from Trump Administration to Program' or 'Sad News for Job Corps Alumni and Staff: Trump Administration's Potential Actions Could Jeopardize Program'
Young woman, Mariyah Louis, lived through the brink of despair, having grown up in the foster care system before securing a place in Job Corps, a government-funded career training program for low-income students. Today, she's the proud owner of a thriving auto detailing business, credit she attributes to her Job Corps experience.
Louis, 27, expresses gratitude for the life-changing path that the Job Corps program offered, stating, "I was able to pretty much rebuild my whole life... I didn't think that I would make it to 27 years old."
A week ago, the Labor Department announced its intention to shutter Job Corps operations across 99 contract-operated centers, leaving thousands of students uncertain about their futures. A judge has temporarily halted the decision, and a hearing is scheduled for later this month to decide its fate.
Uncertainty looms over the program, unsettling alumni and staff as they scramble to support students who have relied on Job Corps for housing and food assistance. The closures are part of broader efforts by the Trump administration to reduce the federal workforce, including planned layoffs, department shutdowns, and reorganizations. Some of these initiatives have been halted by federal judges in response to legal challenges.
The ongoing uncertainty has grappled alumnae like Louis, who voiced her concerns about the students currently in the program.
Reminiscing about her time in the foster care system in Michigan, Lewis stated that her school experience was strained after her transition into foster care. However, her interest in Job Corps piqued after seeing a friend attend. After enrolling, she found a mentor figure in her trade instructor.
Footage from WJBK-TV of Detroit captured students moving their belongings out of the center where Louis studied, leaving their future uncertain. Worried about a lack of sleep, Louis has created a Facebook group for alumni and staff to share resources and started a GoFundMe to support those affected by the potential closure.
If the centers close, students face an uncertain future. Christopher Kuhn, who works with Job Corps centers in Memphis, Tennessee, and St. Paul, Minnesota, shared that 100 students have already left the St. Paul center. Faculty members are contacting students to return to the campuses and making arrangements for students without homes.
In Astoria, Oregon, Tongue Point Job Corps Center was still seeking housing for more than two dozen homeless students before the program began. According to Mac McGoldrick, the center's director, "There is a black cloud over this campus. It is a heartbreaking thing to see."
The temporary halt on the closure allows students to remain on campus while the situation is clarified in court. A Labor Department spokesperson maintained that the "comprehensive review of Job Corps revealed significant systemic issues" but stressed that their priority was "promoting success for every student and ensuring a safe transition during this pause."
The numbers about Job Corps graduation rates have become a point of contention, with the National Job Corps Association challenging the Labor Department's claim that only 38% of students graduate from the program. The association claimed that graduation rates have historically been above 60% and were depressed by Covid-19 policies. NBC News has yet to independently verify the statistics.
- Mariyah Louis, expressing her concerns about the future of current Job Corps students, voices a sentiment shared by many alumni and staff as they navigate the uncertainty caused by the Trump administration's policy and legislation to shutter Job Corps operations, which could potentially affect education-and-self-development opportunities for thousands of underprivileged students.
- As the hearing approaches to decide the fate of the Job Corps program, Louis, fearing for the lack of resources for the students, has resorted to using general-news platforms such as Facebook and GoFundMe to gather funds and share information, aiming to help those who may find themselves in her past situation of war-and-conflicts and poverty.
- The Job Corps program, which played a vital role in Mariyah Louis's transformation from a foster care system survivor to a successful business owner, now seems at risk aspolitical agendas, funding issues, and systemic concerns pertaining to policy-and-legislation weigh heavily on the future of education-and-self-development opportunities for many deserving students.
