Detroit Jobs Corps Center pauses operations after federal order
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The Detroit Job Corps Center. Photo: Joe Guillen/Axios
Detroit's representatives in Congress are calling for a reversal of the federal government's "abrupt" decision last week to pause operations at Job Corps centers in Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids and elsewhere across the country.
Why it matters: Some local participants in the youth job training program were scrambling for living accommodations over the weekend when Detroit's center on Woodrow Wilson Street closed after the pause was announced, Fox 2 reported.
Catch up quick: Job Corps is a residential career training program under the U.S. Department of Labor for people between the ages of 16 and 24 to finish their high school education and get job training.
- The program dates back to 1964, but the Trump administration now says it's not achieving its goals, citing program deficits, dangerous incidents and poor graduation rates.
- All contractor-operated Job Corps centers are expected to pause operations by June 30 under the Labor Department's directive.
- The centers supported more than 700 students in Michigan, including more than 200 in Detroit. Some rely on the program for stable housing.
What they're saying: "A startling number of serious incident reports and our in-depth fiscal analysis reveal the program is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve," U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement Thursday announcing the pause.
The latest: The department has issued new guidance since its initial announcement caused some operators to take action immediately regarding their students.
- The new guidance clarifies "that there is no hard deadline for transferring students to their home of record, especially where their safety and wellbeing are concerned," a Department of Labor official told Axios Detroit yesterday.
The other side: U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), Shri Thanedar (D-Detroit), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City) and Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) urged a swift reversal of the Job Corps pause in a letter to Chavez-DeRemer on Monday.
- "This abrupt disruption has destabilized our communities, which rely on these centers," the letter reads.
What's next: Other local workforce agencies, such as the Detroit Employment Solutions Corp. and Detroit at Work, are expected to absorb former Job Corps participants, the Detroit News reported.
- Nearly 20 local participants who needed somewhere to stay were referred to the city; six were placed into shelters and diversion programs while others declined help or found their own solutions.