With federal cut, Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps to close after 44 years

Eager to give a young person a shot at his profession and bring in particular badly-needed talent Dave Abbott reached out last year to the Hubert H Humphrey Job Corps Center in St Paul in hopes of launching a work-based learning internship undertaking As a lead carpenter for a group of remodeling contractors Abbott figured his company could help train three or four young corps members per year and hopefully hire specific on A year of planning followed The first recruit of late did two weeks with us helped frame a garage up and she absolutely crushed it declared Abbott a vice president with Terra Firma a St Paul-based contracting cooperative She was great Then came word last week that the U S Department of Labor citing ballooning costs and mixed outcomes had pulled funding for more than Job Corps centers across the country As a conclusion the Hubert H Humphrey Job Corps Center which has operated from the former Bethel College campus across from the State Fairgrounds on Snelling Avenue since will close on Tuesday letting go all staff and releasing more than young people various of whom literally called the center home I m so upset about this I can t even tell you stated Kaila Broad business engagement specialist with the St Paul site on Monday Haven t slept haven t eaten Training in career paths St Paul s Job Corps Center which offered up to young people ages to workforce training in any one of eight career paths as they worked toward their GED and vocational certificates also provided free housing for a large number of low-income recruits who had landed there through diversion programs or were enrolled by their families Chosen members had previously been homeless As that housing dries up it s unclear where they ll land The sudden decision to pull funding has drawn bi-partisan pushback in Congress given the activity s long history in putting young people to work The Job Corps centers were launched as part of President Lyndon Johnson s great society and war on poverty efforts in and multiple a young person has obtained a clinical assistant certificate or entered the construction trades while receiving free room and board We had just added a Certified Nursing Assistant certification through St Paul College Broad announced Graduation rates earnings disputed In announcing cuts to workforce training programs last Thursday U S Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-Deremer noted the Job Corps centers had proven too costly to operate and fallen short of intended outcomes In the venture operated at a million deficit nationally requiring the Biden administration to implement a pause in center operations to complete the year The deficit this year is projected to reach million according to a announcement from the U S Department of Labor Nationally about of enrollees graduate according to what the department described as the first-ever Job Corps Transparency Summary issued April which analyzed metrics from Specific critics of the statement have disclosed pre-pandemic graduation rates were notably higher The National Job Corps Association maintains that historically graduation rates were closer to A previous inquiry of graduation rates earnings and other metrics was published in sections from through though it was unavailable Monday morning from the U S Department of Labor website Citing the majority newest account the Labor Department commented earnings for up-to-date Job Corps graduates average about The National Job Corps Association has also disputed those numbers claiming earnings are closer to Also troubling according to the secretary were nearly serious episode reports chronicling everything from sex assaults and other acts of violence to drug use and hospitalizations The National Job Corps Association has announced those reports include power outages athletic injuries and adults leaving campus without authorization The secretary explained a phased pause in operations is to take place by June but the closures are rolling out in St Paul and other locations virtually overnight Tax cuts for billionaires In response U S Sen Tammy Baldwin a Wisconsin Democrat and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor Soundness and Human Services issued a announcement last week saying the loss of Job Corps will exacerbate her state s workforce shortage hurting the financial sector while locking students out of good-paying jobs Congress appropriated funding for Job Corps and the Trump Administration can t just decide to not spend it because they want to make room for tax cuts for billionaires Baldwin wrote At a time when Wisconsin businesses are demanding more skilled workers the Trump Administration is cutting vital materials that put Wisconsinites on a fast-track to good-paying jobs in nursing manufacturing and the trades Gutting Job Corps is a step in the wrong direction The U S Department of Agriculture s Forest System operates more than of the centers on federal land steering recruits toward forestry work Abbott declared he sees the loss of federal funding as short-sighted decision-making from on high Construction trades are notoriously understaffed and desperate for labor which raises prices for clients Creating a pipeline of young talent would be a boon to workers contractors and property owners alike he revealed Various of the young people he interviewed sounded like ideal recruits for internships I was hoping to have it be a long-term tradition that we could just work with three or four every year explained Abbott on Sunday Usually it s pretty busy in the summer and there s good work for pre-apprentice level carpenters Related Articles Lynx turn up defense in second half improve to - A wild stretch leads to Loons first win in Seattle Here are five avenues to celebrate Pride month from Pee-wee Herman to F rst Wrestling St Paul family nonprofit seeks to break the stigma of addiction in the Hmong population The Woddle A techy diaper-changing pad with a touchscreen and AI