CONGRESSMAN BISHOP HAILS JOB CORPS ENROLLMENT DEVELOPMENTS
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) welcomed the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) decision to restart outreach and admission activities at the Turner Job Corps Center in Albany, Georgia and at Job Corps centers nationwide. This step will allow the Job Corps centers to quickly enroll students once the enrollment freeze is lifted. Congressman Bishop has been working to end the enrollment freeze by holding conference calls with the DOL, sending a letter to Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, and encouraging Assistant Secretary Jane Oates of the Employment and Training Administration to take the necessary steps to ensure that the Job Corps program remains strong for the future.
“Today’s announcement is an important first step in ensuring that the Job Corps program continues its mission of helping young people receive employment and achieve academic success in Albany and across the country,” said Congressman Bishop. “It is vital that Turner continues to give our District’s youth the job training opportunities they need to succeed now and into the future. I am proud to have been a part of this fight and look forward to the Job Corps continuing its important work in Albany and throughout the entire nation.”
For eligible young people at least 16 years of age, the Job Corps provides participants the necessary skills needed to achieve success, helping young people learn a career, earn a high school diploma or GED, and find and keep a good job. About 85% of Job Corps graduates are employed, enlisted in the military, or enrolled in advanced training or higher education within six months of graduation. The average Job Corps center supports 228 local jobs, and every dollar invested in Job Corps returns almost $2 to the local economy. Additionally, Job Corps students and staff are heavily involved in service to their communities, logging many hours of volunteer service every year.
To view Congressman Bishop’s letter sent to Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis in January of 2013, please click here.