| Job Corps | |
|---|---|
| The Job Corps Logo. Charged with a blue Ladder upon which a Red arrow points upward. On a field of Red and White vertical stripes. Surrounded with a A blue pentagon pointing downward. At the top of the pentagon printed in white are the words Job Corps | |
| overview | |
| Formed | 1964 |
| Jurisdiction | United States |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| executive | Edna Primrose, Director |
| Parent department | Department of Labor |
| Website | |
| www.jobcorps.gov | |
Job Corps is a program administered by the United States Department of Labor that offers free-of-charge education and vocational training to youth ages 16 to 24.[1]
Contents |
Job Corps' mission is to "help young people ages 16 through 24 improve the quality of their lives through vocational and academic training."[2]
Job Corps offers career planning, on-the-job training, job placement, residential housing, food service, driver's education, basic health and dental care, a bi-weekly basic living allowance and clothing allowance. Some centers offer childcare programs for single parents as well.[3]
Besides vocational training, the Job Corps program also offers academic training, including basic reading and math, GED attainment, college preparatory, and Limited English Proficiency courses.[3] Some centers also offer programs that allow students to remain in residence at their center while attending college. Job Corps provides career counseling and transition support to its students for up to one year after they graduate from the program.[4]
Because Job Corps is a self-paced program, training can take anywhere between three months to two years to complete, depending on the career area chosen and the learning pace a student sets for themself.[3]
Job Corps was initiated as the central program of the Johnson Administration's War on Poverty, part of his domestic agenda known as the Great Society. Sargent Shriver, the first Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, modeled the program on the Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Established in the 1930s as an emergency relief program, the CCC provided room, board, and employment to thousands of unemployed young people. Though the CCC was discontinued after World War II, Job Corps built on many of its methods and strategies.
The current national director of the Office of Job Corps is Edna Primrose, who was appointed on March 12, 2010.[5] The Job Corps program is currently authorized under Title I-C of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.[6]
Since its inception in 1964 under the Economic Opportunity Act, Job Corps has served more than two million young people. Job Corps serves approximately 60,000 youths annually at Job Corps Centers throughout the country.[7]
To enroll in Job Corps, students must meet the following requirements:[8]
In order to stay in the program, students must not violate the "Zero Tolerance" policy against violence and drugs and various minor rules, such as dress and appearance, as well as dormitory inspection rules.
Applicants to the Job Corps program are identified and screened for eligibility by organizations contracted by the U.S. Department of Labor.[10] Each student in the Job Corps goes through four stages of the program:[11]
Outreach and Admissions (OA): This is the stage at which students visit admissions counselors and gather information, as well as prepare for and leave for their Job Corps Centers.[12] Transportation is provided to and from the centers by Job Corps.
Career Preparation Period (CPP): This stage focuses on the assimilation of the student into the center, academic testing, health screening, and instruction on resume building and job search skills. Students are instructed on computer literacy, employability, and center life. This phase lasts for the first 30 days on center.[13]
Career Development Period (CDP): This period is where the student receives all vocational training, drivers' education, academic instruction, and preparation for life outside of Job Corps, i.e. a repeat of CPP with an actual job search.[14]
Career Transition Period (CTP): The period immediately after the student graduates. Career Transition Specialists outside the center assist in the graduate's job search and arrangement of living accommodations, transportation, and family support resources.[4]
Career paths offered by Job Corps include:[15]
Advanced manufacturing
Automotive and machine repair
Extension programs
Health care/allied health professions
Renewable resources and energy
Retail sales and services
There is a total of 125 Job Corps centers, including at least one in every state except New Hampshire and Wyoming, one in the District of Columbia and three in Puerto Rico.[16]
There are six Regional Offices of Job Corps:[17]