Latest news with #JobCorpsProgram
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Governor, entire NV congressional delegation tell Trump to keep Nevada Job Corps funded
(Sierra Nevada Job Corps Center video screenshot) Nevada's top elected leaders, Democrats and Republicans alike, are urging the Trump administration to reverse a decision to defund and close Nevada's Job Corps Program. The program provides education and trade apprenticeships to low-income Americans ages 16 to 24. Nevada's Job Corps center, in Reno, provides training for a wide range of trade fields including hospitality, construction, health care, and advanced manufacturing. On Thursday, the entire Nevada federal delegation and Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo sent a letter to the Department of Labor demanding Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer halt any actions to defund or discontinue the Job Corps program. Democratic U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen signed onto the letter, as did Republican Rep. Mark Amodei, and Democratic Reps. Steven Horsford, Dina Titus, and Susie Lee. If the program ends, nearly 300 students and 170 staff members at the Sierra Nevada Job Corps Center will be displaced, according to the Nevada federal delegation and Lombardo. 'The closure will also compel the Center to evict all of its students, leaving the vast majority at serious risk of homelessness,' reads the letter. Beyond job training and placement, the center provides affordable room and board for low-income students who may otherwise struggle to afford housing during career training. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the number of young people experiencing homelessness in Nevada increased by 14% from 2022 to 2023. The Trump Administration's budget request to Congress for the upcoming fiscal year calls Job Corps a 'failed experiment to help America's youth' and proposes ending the program that began in the 1960s. Last month, the Department of Labor said it was suspending the free high school and trade program due to a projected $213 million operating deficit this year. The agency criticized the effectiveness of the program, citing a 40% graduation rate at a cost of about $80,000 per student annually. Chavez-DeRemer, a former Job Corps champion, said it 'is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve.' Nevada's governor and federal delegation disagreed with Chavez-DeRemer's characterization, saying Jobs Corps has benefited 'tens of thousands of unprivileged students, staff, and employers from throughout the state.' In the letter, the Nevada federal delegation and Lombardo say the 'Sierra Nevada Job Corps Center in Reno has been a vital economic engine for Northern Nevada, serving approximately 25,000 Nevadans since its opening, and graduating more than 500 vocational students a year.' 'In the 2024 program year alone, nearly 82 percent of its students secured full-time employment with a starting wage of at least $17.97 per hour — nearly $6 above Nevada's minimum wage. Furthermore, 75 percent of Sierra Nevada Job Corps participants earn at least one certification required by employers,' the letter continues. A report released by the Labor Department's Employment and Training Administration earlier this year analyzed the financial performance and operational costs, from 2023. Chavez-DeRemer justified the elimination of the program citing the data, which found graduates go on to earn an average of about $16,700 a year, while graduates cost taxpayers about $160,000 per student. In a press release, the Labor Department said the decision to end the program aligns with the Trump administration's budget proposal to cut millions in spending 'and reflects the administration's commitment to ensure federal workforce investments deliver meaningful results for both students and taxpayers.' Nevada's federal delegation and Lombardo said they understand the department's efforts 'to increase accountability and bring workforce programs into alignment with the Administration's priorities,' but disagree that cutting the program is the right move. 'It will strip countless young people of the opportunity to gain valuable skills, education, and a pathway to stable employment. The ripple effects will be felt by local economies and employers who depend on Job Corps graduates to fill critical roles in industries such as construction, healthcare, information technology, and more,' reads the letter.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Governor, entire NV congressional delegation tell Trump to keep Nevada Job Corps funded
(Sierra Nevada Job Corps Center video screenshot) Nevada's top elected leaders, Democrats and Republicans alike, are urging the Trump administration to reverse a decision to defund and close Nevada's Job Corps Program. The program provides education and trade apprenticeships to low-income Americans ages 16 to 24. Nevada's Job Corps center, in Reno, provides training for a wide range of trade fields including hospitality, construction, health care, and advanced manufacturing. On Thursday, the entire Nevada federal delegation and Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo sent a letter to the Department of Labor demanding Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer halt any actions to defund or discontinue the Job Corps program. Democratic U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen signed onto the letter, as did Republican Rep. Mark Amodei, and Democratic Reps. Steven Horsford, Dina Titus, and Susie Lee. If the program ends, nearly 300 students and 170 staff members at the Sierra Nevada Job Corps Center will be displaced, according to the Nevada federal delegation and Lombardo. 'The closure will also compel the Center to evict all of its students, leaving the vast majority at serious risk of homelessness,' reads the letter. Beyond job training and placement, the center provides affordable room and board for low-income students who may otherwise struggle to afford housing during career training. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the number of young people experiencing homelessness in Nevada increased by 14% from 2022 to 2023. The Trump Administration's budget request to Congress for the upcoming fiscal year calls Job Corps a 'failed experiment to help America's youth' and proposes ending the program that began in the 1960s. Last month, the Department of Labor said it was suspending the free high school and trade program due to a projected $213 million operating deficit this year. The agency criticized the effectiveness of the program, citing a 40% graduation rate at a cost of about $80,000 per student annually. Chavez-DeRemer, a former Job Corps champion, said it 'is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve.' Nevada's governor and federal delegation disagreed with Chavez-DeRemer's characterization, saying Jobs Corps has benefited 'tens of thousands of unprivileged students, staff, and employers from throughout the state.' In the letter, the Nevada federal delegation and Lombardo say the 'Sierra Nevada Job Corps Center in Reno has been a vital economic engine for Northern Nevada, serving approximately 25,000 Nevadans since its opening, and graduating more than 500 vocational students a year.' 'In the 2024 program year alone, nearly 82 percent of its students secured full-time employment with a starting wage of at least $17.97 per hour — nearly $6 above Nevada's minimum wage. Furthermore, 75 percent of Sierra Nevada Job Corps participants earn at least one certification required by employers,' the letter continues. A report released by the Labor Department's Employment and Training Administration earlier this year analyzed the financial performance and operational costs, from 2023. Chavez-DeRemer justified the elimination of the program citing the data, which found graduates go on to earn an average of about $16,700 a year, while graduates cost taxpayers about $160,000 per student. In a press release, the Labor Department said the decision to end the program aligns with the Trump administration's budget proposal to cut millions in spending 'and reflects the administration's commitment to ensure federal workforce investments deliver meaningful results for both students and taxpayers.' Nevada's federal delegation and Lombardo said they understand the department's efforts 'to increase accountability and bring workforce programs into alignment with the Administration's priorities,' but disagree that cutting the program is the right move. 'It will strip countless young people of the opportunity to gain valuable skills, education, and a pathway to stable employment. The ripple effects will be felt by local economies and employers who depend on Job Corps graduates to fill critical roles in industries such as construction, healthcare, information technology, and more,' reads the letter.
