WORK

Job Corps Helped Black Youth. Now It’s On the Chopping Block

An essay examining the racial impact of this abrupt policy shift

A carpenter wearing safety glasses | Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko via Pexels

Job Corps, the largest residential training program in the country, is in jeopardy. Since 1964, centers have provided eligible 16–to 24-year-olds with an opportunity to complete their high school education and develop the vocational skills they need to enter the workforce. Enrollees received “housing, meals, basic healthcare, and a living allowance,” as well as “career transition services.” For many students, this program offered a lifeline to the support they needed to achieve their career goals. Sadly, the Department of Labor announced its plan to “pause” funding for Job Corps centers, a move that would sunset the program. Congressman Robert C “Bobby” Scott noted, “Without new contracts, these centers will cease to operate and will have to kick at-risk youth off their campuses, many of whom are homeless or in foster care, and have nowhere else to go.” This is the cruel reality for many who depend on the program.

While eliminating Job Corps will have a demonstrable impact on disadvantaged youth overall, there are also racist implications to putting this particular program on the chopping block. While less explicit than removing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, the…