As a battle over the future of the federal Job Corps program plays out in court and Congress, the Shriver Job Corps Center in Devens has put out a call for more students to apply for free technical training at the site.
The center is actively enrolling students ages 16-24 seeking technical skills training across a variety of fields, including automotive technicians, carpentry, nursing, welding, and advanced computer systems.
Applicants may qualify if they receive benefits, including SNAP, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or free or reduced lunch. Youth who are in foster care or experiencing homelessness also qualify, with the latter eligible for expedited enrollment, according to a Thursday press release from Job Corps. The program includes on-campus housing, basic health care, meals, and job search assistance.
Job Corps has enrolled more than 3 million low-income students nationwide since it was first created in 1964, but has been the target of efforts by the President Donald Trump Administration to shut the program down.
Trump first attempted to shutter Job Corps in May, citing low graduation rates and high instances of violence at some centers as the reason for the shutdown effort.
The shutdown attempt has received pushback from both sides of the political aisle and supporters of Job Corps. They said the program provides vital technical skills to disadvantaged youth and the statistics used by Trump to justify the closure efforts were influenced by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the program.
The attempt at a rapid shutdown threw centers into turmoil, as they worked to find housing and other accommodations, before a federal judge halted the shutdown.
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Worcester) told WBJ in December Job Corps was a vital program and criticized Trump’s efforts to shutter the program, calling it an illegal power grab.
“They’ve helped young people of all backgrounds, and especially those who have faced difficulties that no young person should ever have to go through,” McGovern said.
Two federal lawsuits filed in an attempt to stop Trump’s shutdown efforts are still making their way through the court system, with Job Corps centers across the country continuing to operate in the meantime.
While Trump wanted to provide the program with no funding for fiscal 2026 in his attempt to end the program, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted in August to fully fund the program, while the House Appropriations Committee voted to cut funding by 48% from current levels, but to still fund the program. The current appropriations authority expires at the end of June, meaning the two bodies need to produce a final federal budget for the year by then.
The other Central Massachusetts Job Corps Center is in Grafton.
Interested applicants can learn more about Job Corps by visiting its website or by calling 800-733-JOBS (5627).
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the real estate and banking & finance industries.
