Job
Corps
Job Corps is
the nations largest and most comprehensive residential, education
and job training program for at-risk youth, ages 16 through 24.
Since its inauguration in 1964, under the Economic Opportunity Act,
Job Corps has provided more than 2 million disadvantaged young
people with the integrated academic, vocational, and social skills
training they need to gain independence and get quality, long-term
jobs or further their education.
Today, Job
Corps continues to serve nearly 70,000 students a year at 118 Job
Corps centers throughout the country. Operating within the Career
Development Services System (CDSS), Job Corps training is composed
of five stages: Outreach and Admissions (OA), Career Preparation
Period (CPP), Career Development Period (CDP), Career Transition
Period (CTP), and Career. The fundamental goal of the process is to
help students achieve their career objective. Job Corps is a
public-private partnership, administered by the U. S. Department of
Labor (DOL) and Employment & Training Administration's (ETA).
As a national,
primarily residential, career development program, Job Corps'
mission is to:
- Attract
eligible young adults;
- Involve them
in a career development services system which begins prior to
enrollment and continues through post-center
services;
- Assist them
in acquiring the skills they need to achieve their career goals
and live independently; and
- Support them
in entering and remaining in meaningful jobs or further education.
Job Corps is
also the nation's largest residential education and training program
for low-income youth. There are 119 centers in 46 states, the
District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. It is a time-tested program,
touching the lives of 66,000 young people every year. Since its
inception in 1964, Job Corps has guided more than 1.6 million young
people away from lives filled with poverty and unemployment, crime
and welfare and steered them towards brighter futures filled with
self-confidence, independence and productive employment.
Job Corps
succeeds in a way few other programs public or private do. It is a
full-time, year-round residential program that offers comprehensive
training, education and supportive services, including supervised
dormitory housing, meals, medical care and counseling. The program
provides occupational exploration; world of work and social skills
training; and competency-based vocational and basic education.
Occupational trades offered include construction, automotive
mechanics and repair, business and clerical, retail trades, health
occupations, computer occupations and culinary arts.
To be eligible
for Job Corps, participants must be between 16 and 24 years of age;
be economically disadvantaged; be high school dropouts or in need of
additional education or training; not be on probation or parole; be
free of serious medical or behavioral problems, and come from
disruptive environments. The typical Job Corps student is an
18-year-old high-school dropout who reads at the seventh grade
level, belongs to a minority group and has never held a full-time
job. Approximately 70% of Job Corps enrollees are members of
minority groups; 80% are high school dropouts, and more than 30% are
from families on public assistance. For more details, please visit:
http://jobcorps.doleta.gov/
