Update June 5, 11 a.m.:
A New York district judge temporarily stopped the closure of most Job Corps sites on June 4. The judge’s decision comes after the U.S. Department of Labor announced it would “pause” 99 Job Corps centers, including nine across the Mountain West. But supporters of Job Corps say the suspension of the program amounts to a preemptive shutdown.
A trade group, the National Job Corps Association, sued the department, saying it doesn’t have the power to dismantle a program established and funded by Congress.
Now, the department is enjoined from “enforcing, implementing, maintaining or giving effect to the elimination of the Job Corps program, including the stop work order and termination and non-renewal notices delivered to Job Corps center operators,” the judge’s June 4 order read.
A hearing is scheduled for June 17 and will give the department an opportunity to offer reasons why the temporary block should not be in place.
Job Corps could still be eliminated or downsized as the Senate considers budget legislation that could de-fund the program. The House has already passed such legislation.
Jerri Prejean, an administrator at Wind River Job Corps in Wyoming, said there’s “still a lot of obstacles in place.” She said students are still rushing to finish their work this month in the event the program is ultimately shut down.
Original Story, June 3, 5:36 p.m.:
Many young people looking to kickstart their careers are reeling across the country. That’s because the Trump administration announced it’s suspending most Job Corps centers, including nine in the Mountain West.
Athanasius “Thomas” Christofalos was installing a rear drive shaft underneath a semi-truck when he got the news that the Riverton, Wyoming center would be closing shop by the end of June.
“My world kind of stopped,” said Christofalos, who’s in the Heavy Equipment Mechanic program. “I was like, ‘Shoot, there goes my future.’”
On May 29, the U.S. Department of Labor said it’s suspending the free high school and trade program for students ages 16 to 24, citing a projected $213 million deficit this year.
Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a former Job Corps champion, added, “the program is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve.”
The press release cited 2023 data, which showed participants go on to earn an average of about $16,695 a year. However, Jerri Prejean, an administrator at the Wind River Job Corps, said her students go on to make more than double that, and she said that’s not the only stat that appears off, since 2023 was still Covid-era data.
“ We have a graduation rate of 74% here at Wind River Job Corps, and 86% of those graduates go on to a job trade match. Colleges don't even have those kinds of numbers,” said Prejean, who’s among 150 staff members she said are slated to lose their jobs in Wyoming.
For about 25,000 students nationwide, Job Corps can be a lifeline, Prejean said. Before signing up, many of them are unhoused or in and out of jail. For Christofalos, high school just wasn’t a good fit.
“I knew I wasn't gonna get where I wanted to be in life just doing normal high school,” said Christofalos, whose family has a small farm and ranching business. ”You could say I was born with a wrench in my hand.”
He already has a mechanic position thanks to Job Corps, but he has dozens of hours of cramming left to get his high school diploma before the closure.
“It's gonna be really stressful,” he said. “A lot of late nights and a lot of coffee.”
Other students likely won’t finish in time. Some of Christofalos’ friends aren’t as far along as him and won’t get their certifications or high school degrees.
Prejean said the Wind River team is working to ensure every student has somewhere safe to go and a chance at a job before the planned closure on June 23.
Job Corps centers are also shuttering in Phoenix and Tucson in Ariz.; Nampa, Idaho; Charlo, Mont.; Reno, Nev.; Albuquerque and Roswell in N.M.; and Clearfield in Utah.
For now, the suspension won’t apply to centers run through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, including ones in Collbran, Colo.; Ogden, Utah’ and Anaconda and Darby, Mont.
There’s a chance a lawsuit from the trade group, National Job Corps Association, could stop the shutdown. In a June 3 filing in a federal district court in New York, the group called the move from the Department of Labor illegal and “fundamentally irrational.”
But even if the group is able to stop the shutdown, Congress could still defund Job Corps. The House’s recently passed budget stripped the program of its funding, and the Senate could vote to do the same.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by CPB.
