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Yahoo
12 hours ago
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NH Job Corps to close June 30 when U.S. Labor Department pauses program
New Hampshire's Job Corps training program, serving more than 200 teenagers and young adults ages 16 to 24, will close June 30 after federal labor officials put a pause last week on the nationwide training and education program, which has come under fire for high costs, problems and poor results. More than 40 students at the state's single campus, at 984 Dunbarton Road in Manchester may be without housing as early as Friday per the phased-in closings. State and local officials are scrambling to find continued employment, education and suitable residential accommodations for the participants who live in the dorms. 'We've been communicating and planning for multiple contingencies since Friday," Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais said Sunday. 'I fully expect community and local partners to step up as they have in the past.' No arrangements have been finalized yet, he said, but 'the city is committed to ensuring' that those affected, including the staff of 100, have options for placement. Ruais called Job Corps 'a significant economic generator for the city and state,' providing about $20 million annually. 'There is also a lot of workforce development' which enables the students and trainees to transition to positions with New Hampshire employers. The U.S. Department of Labor's announcement came Thursday, affecting contractor-operated sites such as New Hampshire's without suspending operations at those run by the federal government. There are currently 125 centers across the U.S. Manchester Ward 7 Alderman Ross Terrio texted Sunday, 'It is happening too fast. The people affected need more time to make arrangements for finding other work and housing. If there are problems I think they should have tried to fix them before ending the program.' Opened nearly 10 years ago in October 2015, the Queen City's $35 million complex was designed to give young people a jumpstart in work. 'This program helps young people who are poor and unskilled find a trade that can make them self-sufficent,' Terrio wrote. John Stephen, District 4 executive councilor, in a letter to commissioners at the state's departments of labor, employment security and business and economic affairs, said, 'This pause risks disrupting the progress of enrolled students and undermining the progress of workforce development efforts in New Hampshire.' Stephen asked the commissioners to collaborate with U.S. labor officials to identify flexible federal funding sources that would allow the state to continue Job Corps programs that are effective. 'Comprehensive transition plans must be developed to ensure current students are seamlessly integrated into alternative training programs, educational opportunities, or employment pathways that support their long term success,' he wrote. 'I encourage you all to investigate innovative strategies to reduce costs and boost graduation rates, such as streamlining operations, enhancing mentorship programs, or partnering with local businesses to align training with workforce needs.' He said New Hampshire's cost per student 'while below the national average of $80,284.65 "remains significant." New Hampshire's graduation rate of 42.1%,' while above the national average of 38.6%, 'highlights the need for improvement.' The U.S. Labor Department's Transparency Report for Program Year 2023, released in April 2025, documented 14,913 serious incident reports at Job Corps Centers nationwide including 1,764 acts of violence, 2,702 reports of drug use, 1,808 hospital visits, 1,167 breaches of security, and 372 reports of sexual assault and inappropriate sexual behavior. It was not clear at press time how many of these may have occurred in New Hampshire. 'Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training and community,' U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in news release May 29. 'However 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.' According to the Labor Department: In 2024, the program operated at a $140 million deficit, requiring the Biden administration to pause center operations during that year. The deficit is projected to reach $213 million in 2025. 'We remain committed to ensuring all participants are supported through this transition and connected with the resources they need to succeed as we evaluate the program's possibilities,' Chavez-DeRemer wrote on May 29. A staff member at Job Corps in Manchester declined to provide further information when a reporter went to the Dunbarton Road site on Sunday.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Career counselor at Little Rock Job Corps says federal pause on operations nationwide leaves students with nowhere to go
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – When hearing the news that Job Corps centers nationwide will no longer operate after June 30, career counselor Rickeisha Babbs first thought of the high-risk students currently enrolled in the career-training and educational programs. 'For a lot of them, that's tragedy. A lot of them have nowhere to go. A lot of them have nowhere to turn to,' Babbs said. Federal Proposal Made to Close Ouachita Job Corps She said around 75% of the 160 students enrolled in the program live at the center. 'Those are going to be youth that have an income that's below the federal poverty level. We see a lot of youth that did not succeed in traditional youth settings,' Babbs said. Because of the pause of operations set by the U.S. Department of Labor, Babbs says by June 5th students living at the center will have to be gone. And all operations paused will be paused by June 30th. This is the income needed to 'live comfortably' in Arkansas, report says Temporary or not, Babbs feels this experience will have a long-lasting effect. 'I think for a lot of them it feels like a repeat of what they've already experienced in their lives. And that's abandonment,' Babbs said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
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With Grand Rapids center affected, Scholten criticizes Job Corps pause
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A Job Corps Center in Grand Rapids — one of 120 nationwide — will stop operations within weeks after the U.S. Department of Labor announced it was implementing a phased pause of the program. that the decision aligns with President Donald Trump's budget proposal and 'reflects the Administration's commitment to ensure federal workforce investments deliver meaningful results for both students and taxpayers.' The Job Corps offers free education and vocational training for low-income teens and young adults. The Gerald R. Ford Job Corps Center on Hall Street SE near Division Avenue is expected to stop its work by June 30. U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, voiced her dissatisfaction on the pause in a statement released to News 8 Saturday. 'If there was ever any remaining doubt that this is not Ford's Republican party, Trump's decision to pause the Job Corps Center erases that,' she said. 'Republicans cannot begin to claim this is a move towards fiscal responsibility–they just passed a budget that raises the debt by over $4 trillion. The spending isn't to spur more economic activity, it's to line the pockets of the ultra-rich. Here in West Michigan, we believe that a good job is the key to a better future and opportunity–that's what we should be investing in, not welfare for the rich,' she said. Her office confirmed it has scheduled a meeting with Job Corps staff Monday. In Thursday's release, Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRermer said that the program is not producing the the results it should be. 'Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training, and community,' Chavez-DeRemer stated. 'However, 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. We remain committed to ensuring all participants are supported through this transition and connected with the resources they need to succeed as we evaluate the program's possibilities.' According to the department, the Job Corps program operated in 2024 at a $140 million deficit and that is estimated to reach $213 million in 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Job Corps center in St. Paul sends students home after federal funding pause
The Brief Job Corps students are being sent home after federal spending cuts. The program originated in 1964 and offers education and vocational training to Americans between the ages of 16 and 24. Students were told they have until June 6 to transition out of Job Corp. ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Federal funding cuts are clearing students out of the Hubert Humphrey Job Corps Center in St. Paul after the U.S. Department of Labor announced a "phased pause" in the program. READ MORE: Job Corps graduates concerned about elimination in Trump's budget Big picture view The government program has helped young Americans for over 60 years. The program provides housing for about 50,000 students each year. Students can also earn a school diploma or a GED, get vocational training and even learn how to drive. Students now have until June 6 to transition out of Job Corps. The Trump administration says Job Corps is financially unsustainable and calls it a failed experiment, with a cost of over $1.5 billion last year. The U.S. Department of Labor announced on May 29 it was starting "a phased pause in operations at contractor-operated Job Corps centers nationwide, initiating an orderly transition for students, staff, and local communities." The Source This story used statements from students at the Job Corps Center, a news release from the U.S. Department of Labor and past FOX 9 reporting.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
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MLB, NFL players contacted by federal agents in stunning licensing firm investigation
MLB and NFL pros have been contacted by federal agents as part of an investigation regarding a licensing firm owned by the league's unions, according to reports. Agents are looking into financial dealings regarding OneTeam Partners, created by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) and private-equity firm RedBird Capitals in 2019, per ESPN. Players are not being targeted by the agents, according to ESPN, and at least three MLBers who are involved with 'union leadership' have been contacted. The FBI and Department of Labor (DOL) are partaking in the investigation, per The Athletic. '(OneTeam) is aware of an ongoing investigation of allegations concerning our partners,' it told ESPN in a statement. 'We want to emphasize that OneTeam is not the subject of the investigation and has not been accused of any wrongdoing in any way. OneTeam is fully committed to cooperating with the investigation.' OneTeam Partners' website claims 'we united Players Associations and elite athletes by giving them the platforms, resources and expertise necessary to maximize their collective value.' Both NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell and MLBPA boss Tony Clark are listed on the board of directors, and former NFLPA boss DeMaurice Smith helped found it. OneTeam Partners paid the MLBPA $44.5 million in 2024 and the NFLPA received $422.8 million over the past five years, per ESPN. ESPN described the partnership as a 'major financial boon' for both unions. Union executives told ESPN they had not been contacted, and the investigation is being run by the Brooklyn-based Eastern District of New York. 'We are aware of the investigation and fully prepared to cooperate if the NFLPA is contacted,' an NFLPA spokesperson told The Athletic. The MLBPA also said to the outlet: 'If the MLBPA is contacted by the government, we intend to cooperate fully with any investigation.' OneTeam has faced questions before regarding its operations with the NFL and MLB unions. An anonymous unfair labor practices complaint was filed in 2024 with the National Labor Relations board that alleged 'nepotism, corruption and mismanagement' within the MLBPA, per ESPN. The complaint alleges Clark 'improperly gave himself & other executives equity' in OneTeam, along with 'inadequate disclosures' about the alliance in the yearly union updates. The MLBPA denied those allegations, per ESPN. This past December, Richard Smith, the NFL's outside counsel, reportedly ran an audit to see whether the company has afforded equity options to executive directors of its union partners, including the MLBPA. The NFLPA audit revealed the union's involvement with OneTeam was 'in compliance with best governance practices,' a source told ESPN. '(OneTeam) remains steadfast in our commitment to following the best business practices, as has already been determined by the independent audit conducted earlier this year,' it told ESPN. 'We remain dedicated to upholding the highest standards of integrity and transparency in all that we do.'
