These changes, which are planned to take effect by June 30, run parallel with the elimination of Job Corps in the federal budget proposal.
The Jobs Corps Center in Dayton, on Germantown Pike, did not immediately return a request for comment about the federal announcement.
There are approximately under 25,000 students enrolled in the Job Corps program, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
State Sen. Willis Blackshear Jr., a Dayton Democrat, condemned the pause.
“You cannot mention workforce training without mentioning Job Corps, and in a time where we as a state and country are experiencing a workforce shortage for in-demand industries, now is not the time to pause their operations,” Blackshear said in a press release. “Without alternative programming, how will we ensure that young people have pathways to career success?”
The U.S. Department of Labor purchased the Dayton Jobs Corp Center site in the late 1970s, and the program helps disadvantaged youth become self-sufficient and career-ready.
A total of 211 students were enrolled in Dayton’s program in 2023, the most recent year of data available through the labor department.
U.S. Labor Department Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer in a press release this week said that after a review by the department, federal officials determined that Job Corps is “no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve.”
The average graduation rate in 2023 was nearly 39% nationwide, according to a federal analysis.
Chavez-DeRemer also said the Job Corps program reported a “startling number of serious incident reports.”
A review of the program found that 14,913 serious incident infractions were reported nationwide in the 2023 program year: this includes acts of violence and more.
Federal data shows 60 incidents were reported at the Dayton Job Corps Center in 2023.
The labor department said it would connect all students enrolled in the residential program to resources “they need to succeed as this transition takes place,” according to a federal FAQ page.
This will include returning personal documents to students, registering students with the American Job Center and the Labor Exchange system, and arranging transportation for students to return them to their “homes of record” by June 30.
“These centers help provide critical workforce training that is desperately needed in our communities,” Blackshear said.
Cornelius Frolik contributed to this report.
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