AMHERST COUNTY, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor announced a pause in the Job Corps program, meaning 90 centers across the country, including in Marion and Amherst County, will close by the end of the month.
The program provides education and career training opportunities to at-risk young people between the ages of 16 and 24. The DOL cited financial constraints and concerns about performance in its announcement of the pause.
“Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training, and community,” said Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer in a news release. “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.”
Students and staff heard rumblings about the pause but the timing still came as a shock. Students at the Blue Ridge Job Corps Center in Marion were initially told they had until June 3 to move out.
“So that was making everyone else and everyone around me even more of a panic because we thought we had 30 days,” said Crystal Sierra, a student leader at the center. " We actually found out Saturday that we got an extension to the 12th. So that’s the up-to-date date right now is the 12th."
Sierra said Job Corps changed her life: she received a high school diploma, and the training helped toward her goal of becoming a correctional nurse.
“I couldn’t have done it alone. I could not have,” she said. “And that’s what we’re basically being told to do now, just fend for yourself and try to do it alone, which is never gonna work, honestly.”
Nationwide, there were roughly 25,000 students enrolled in the program. The DOL said it would cover transportation costs for students to return to their homes of record. The department is also coordinating with state and local partners to connect students with education and employment opportunities.
Virginia Career Works in Lynchburg has parted with the Old Dominion Job Corps Center in Amherst County for years. They’re working to help the 80 or so students still left at the center with the next steps.
“We’re finding out do they have transportation? Do they have housing? What kind of skills do they have,” said Traci Blido, executive director of Virginia Career Works Central Virginia. “And depending on each individual, we’re helping them find the best-case scenario.”
Blido said 22 of the students are from the Lynchburg region. They also plan to help the 130 employees at the Job Corps site who will soon be out of work.