The Atterbury Job Corps resumed classes Friday after a federal judge blocked the U.S. Department of Labor’s pause on contractor-operated Job Corps around the country. Daily Journal file photo
Students at Atterbury Job Corps in Edinburgh are getting back to work after a pause in operations ordered by the U.S. Department of Labor was blocked by a federal judge.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter of New York issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting the U.S. Department of Labor from terminating jobs, removing students, or eliminating the Job Corps program without authorization from Congress. Carter also ordered DOL officials to appear at a court hearing on June 17.
The order was part of a lawsuit filed Tuesday by the National Job Corps Association that alleged the DOL’s decision would lead to mass layoffs and would displace many young people. The association said in a social media post that pausing Job Corps “would deliver a devastating blow to tens of thousands of young people” and weaken the workforce and economy.
In a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on Thursday, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said she recognized that only an act of Congress could eliminate Job Corps, and the department halted the program’s operations but planned to comply with the federal court order.
Job Corps is open to 16-to-24-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds who need to obtain high school diplomas or an equivalent, vocational certificates and licenses and job training. The program serves about 25,000 people at 120 Job Corps contractor-run sites. At Atterbury Job Corps, there are 275 students and 215 staff members.
With news of the order, staff at Atterbury Job Corps are relieved to hear things could get back to normal — at least for now. Classes resumed Friday for students who had not yet left campus or were staying nearby, but most students will be coming back Sunday, said Renee Wolf, Atterbury Job Corps campus director and a contractor with Adams and Associates Inc., which runs the facility.
“I’m super excited … The students whom we had sent out, we have to make arrangements to get them back and travel and get them back so that they can fully participate in the program again and pick up where they stopped last week,” Wolf said.
On Monday, multiple students the Daily Journal spoke to were concerned both that their job training would be paused, but also that many of their classmates would be suddenly homeless. Many students come to the program as a “last resort” and for a chance to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. In addition to job training, students reported they gained confidence, found hope, and met friends and instructors who had become like family.
Staff were scrambling to find resources for the students and places for them to stay. While staff did this, they were faced with their own impending job losses.
With the change in plans, Wolf said staff are still unsure about the future, but are trying to remain positive for the students’ sake.
“I truly believe in this program,” she said. “I’m going to continue to fight. I don’t know where it stands, but I want to be hopeful. I have to be hopeful for the staff and the students here.”
Why the pause?
In a press release, Chavez-DeRemer stated the DOL decided to pause contractor-operated Job Corps around the country after “a startling number of serious incident reports” and fiscal analysis revealed the program is no longer achieving its intended outcomes. The release says the decision aligns with President Donald Trump’s budget proposal and “reflects the administration’s commitment to ensure federal workforce investments deliver meaningful results for both students and taxpayers.”
The DOL acted to pause the program, citing a 38.6% graduation rate and “significant financial challenges under its current operating structure.” The DOL says the program operated at a $140 million deficit in 2024, requiring the Biden administration to implement a pause in center operations to complete the program year. The deficit is projected to reach $213 million in program year 2025, according to DOL’s data.
Chavez-DeRemer told the House Education and Workforce Committee that the Trump administration wanted to eliminate ineffective training interventions.
“Our recently released Job Corps transparency report showed that in 2023 alone, more than 14,000 serious incidents were reported at the Job Corps centers, including cases of sexual assault, physical violence, and drug use,” Chavez-DeRemer said. “This program is failing to deliver safe and successful outcomes our young people deserve.”
However, the National Job Corps Association says these statistics are misleading. In a news release rebutting reporting on the data, the association states the current graduation rate is higher than 38.6%, and enrollment and graduation rates in recent years have been lower because of the aftermath of COVID-19 policies. Historically, the graduation rates have been above 60%.
The association also says more context is needed for the graduation data in recent years. Under a previous administration, the Labor Department began requiring students with a high school diploma to participate in college readiness lessons regardless of whether they planned to attend college. That led some students to leave the program, the release says.
Despite the DOL allegations that Job Corps is not achieving its intended outcome, the association said that graduates exceeded the wage goals set by the department in program year 2023. That year, students were placed in jobs earning an average wage of $17.13, and graduates earned annualized wages of more than $31,000, according to the association.
For the Atterbury site, the DOL report says there were 132 graduates and 482 separations from the program from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. Among the separations were 206 for discipline issues and 128 for unauthorized absences, while others are categorized as “ordinary” and “other.”
As for serious incidents, the National Job Corps Association said serious incidents could include power outages, inclement weather, athletic injuries that require treatment, and adult students leaving campus without prior approval.
Lawmakers question DOL
Some lawmakers criticized the DOL’s decision to pause Job Corps. At Thursday’s committee hearing, U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Virginia, read a letter written by Chavez-DeRemer last year in support of Job Corps, claiming the program increased participants’ employment and wages, and decreased reliance on public benefits.
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, pointed out that Chavez-DeRemer had “made a starkly abrupt shift from a champion to a destroyer of this important program” and said students in her district were distraught.
Scott also said Job Corps has “bipartisan support in Congress” and helps young low-income people find good-paying jobs and housing.
“These students were on their way to getting a good job and earning a living wage. On behalf of them, I urge you to immediately reverse the decision to effectively shut down all Job Corps centers,” he said.
Prior to the temporary restraining order, the “pause” in Job Corps operations as reported by The Hill last week was news to U.S. Rep. Jefferson Shreve, R-Indiana, who represents Johnson County, and his office.
“My office reached out to the Department of Labor for the details,” Shreve said in a statement given Monday to the Daily Journal. “The ‘pause’ came as news to my office. I’ll remain in contact with the Atterbury Job Corps Center to stay engaged.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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