‘Pause' of David L. Carrasco Job Corps center shocks alumni, trades professionals
It could be especially harmful for low-income teenagers and young adults who are eligible for the free residential program, they said.
'It's not only a loss to the young people. It's a loss for all of the community. We're losing something very, very important. This program has given the opportunity to thousands of students to better themselves. Because for a lot of us, it was either our first chance or last chance. You have a lot of students coming from broken homes that didn't have anywhere else to go, who never really got a first chance at life.' said David Cantu, a Job Corps alumni from the Carrasco center.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced on Thursday afternoon, May 29, that it will begin a phased 'pause' of contractor-operated Job Corps centers nationwide. This pause will go into effect on June 30.
That will include the David L. Carrasco Job Corps Center here in El Paso.
Department of Labor announces pause of Job Corps centers nationwide in June
Generations of welders, H-VAC, technicians, auto and diesel mechanics, and other professionals in the trades fields here in El Paso began their technical skills training and education at the Carrasco Job Corps center.
The Carrasco Job Corps campus opened in 1970, and has been located at 11155 Gateway West.
The program was available at no cost to young people between the ages of 16 through 24. Students are required to live on campus through the duration of their education in order to best serve their needs.
Cantu graduated from the Job Corps in 2010 after having migrated from Mexico. After graduating, he served in the U.S Navy until 2016. He has since obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at El Paso, a master's degree from Baylor University, and will soon begin medical school at the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center.
'It's a program that's been working. We became taxpayers and every penny the Job Corps spent on me, I paid back., I don't know how many times back,' said Juan Sanchez, a Job Corps alumni and retired employee from the Carrasco center.
'I came from Mexico. I didn't know how to speak English. I always tell people, 'I talk with an accent, but you know what? Thanks to the Job Corps, I became a taxpayer.' I think it was the Job Corps' goal for people to become taxpayers, for people who didn't have a chance to finish high school or job training,' Sanchez added.
The U.S. Departmetn of Labor justified the move by citing an internal review conducted of the program nationwide from fiscal year 2023-2024, which aims to demonstrate that the program is no longer achieving its goal.
The report titled the 'Job Corps Transparency Report,' cites severe financial shortfalls and increasing costs in program operations, as well as poor student performance as some of the most alarming reasons for halting operations.
The National Job Corps Association (NJCA), however, said the data presented by the DOL lacks context and is 'misleading.' The NJCA is a professional trade assocation that advocates for the Job Corps.
The group also produced its own data. It shows that the program has not seen increased funding since 2018, if inflation is taken into account.
As for poor student performance, they said graduation rates and student enrollment decreased in that time frame due to Covid-19 policies, much like other schools and colleges. The NJCA said its graduation rates have historically been above 60%, and that they continue to produce graduates that exceed the wage goals set by the DOL.
Leaders in the trades field in El Paso warn that the demand for trade-skilled workers is only growing.
'We're losing the ability to spark that interest in them, and the ability to get them started. Because when they learn what welding is and go through that option and they see what the industry can do for them, then they come to us and learn that advanced training. I mean, it's a perfect getaway,' said Scott Herndon, CEO of the Sun City Welding Academy. 'We are not able to graduate students fast enough in this region. We are working closely with an industry leader who is looking for 80 to 100 welders for upcoming projects.'
'They were working with low-income families, and they were also working with a very young age group of students. And, it was just so important to introduce students that don't necessarily have those resources,' said Mary Cano, chief operating officer for Western Technical College. 'This is very heartbreaking. There's just no other way to describe it. It's just so heartbreaking. There is a dire need for this kind of training in our community.'
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