WASHINGTON, D.C.- In an attempt to protect an important federal job-training program, known as Job Corps, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) have introduced legislation to address recent management challenges that led to a $60 million budget shortfall earlier this year that threatened the program's future.
The "Securing Job Corps Centers Act" would create an advisory board responsible for working with the Department of Labor (DOL), which oversees the Job Corps program, to develop policy and programmatic recommendations related to the program's administration. The advisory panel would provide a series of reports directly to the U.S. Secretary of Labor and Congress on budget and financial management protocols, cost efficiencies, and maximizing the number of youth served. Senators Collins' and McCaskill's bill would also require earlier notifications of management decisions at DOL that could affect student enrollments.
Job Corps is an educational and vocational training program administered by DOL that helps at-risk young people ages 16 through 24 by giving them the tools they need to succeed. Job Corps has been training young adults for meaningful careers for nearly 50 years and is committed to offering its students a safe, drug-free environment where they can train and learn.
Job Corps' mission is to attract eligible young people, teach them the skills they need to become employable and independent, and help them find meaningful jobs or further their education. Studies show 85 percent of Job Corps graduates obtain a job, enroll in higher education, or enlist in the military. This success has been threatened, however, by the DOL's mismanagement.
Earlier this year, the DOL ordered a temporary suspension of new student enrollments as its way to address a significant Job Corps program shortfall of $61.5 million. This was in addition to the $39 million shortfall in the previous program year. According to DOL, several factors contributed to Job Corps' financial problems, but the most significant was unchecked growth in expenditures due to serious weaknesses in the financial management processes. The suspension of enrollments decimated the program, setting it back for years to come. As a result, every Job Corps center today operates at 21-25 percent below full capacity.
"It is clear that the Department of Labor has mismanaged this program, and students suffered the consequences," said Senator Collins. "There are two Job Corps centers in Maine that do excellent work to help young adults become productive members of society. The Penobscot Job Corps Academy and the Loring Job Corps Center have the capability to serve nearly 800 at-risk youth on a daily basis. These centers put these young men and women on a path to earning their high school diploma and to gaining the necessary skills to enter the workforce or the military or go on to college.
"However, the shortfall caused by DOL mismanagement forced these centers to furlough and lay off staff to reduce costs-jeopardizing the long-term sustainability of these centers and their important work," continued Collins.
"There has been financial mismanagement with this program-and that mismanagement has been exacerbated by a lack of adequate oversight," said McCaskill, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Financial & Contracting Oversight. "The program needs to be reformed, and it's my belief that this bill will put it on the path to providing Americans with the expanded job opportunities many folks still need."
"The entire Job Corps community appreciates the tireless commitment of Senators Collins and McCaskill to work with their colleagues from both sides of the aisle to ensure Job Corps continues to educate and train America's next generation of workers and leaders," said Aaron Grau, Executive Director of the National Job Corps Association. "Job Corps has served more than 3 million youth over the past 50 years, and strong champions such as Senators Collins and McCaskill will help protect and strengthen Job Corps for countless more youth, communities and taxpayers across the country."
An advisory board of experienced Job Corps operations experts, established under this legislation, would help the program and its new leadership to emerge from the crises of the last year and ensure that, in the future, Job Corps policy decisions are always guided by what is in the best interests of Job Corps students and communities.