Alicia Wallace at CNN reports there are at least 21,000 current students whose coursework and hands-on training were upended by the U.S. Department of Labor’s announcement in late May to pause operations at Job Corps, a Residential Career Training Program for low-income and at-risk youth that was started 60 years ago under President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty. The Labor Department, citing budget deficits and claiming poor results, announced it was halting contracts on the 99 private-contractor-operated sites under its purview by the end of June and that it would initiate an orderly transition of students from the residential program into their respective communities. The move is part of a broader push within the Trump Administration to slash Federal programs. The National Job Corps Association, a Trade Organization of center operators and other community and business organizations that support the centers, have pushed back on the Labor Department’s claims, arguing that the analysis cherry-picked data distorted by the Coronavirus Pandemic and sensationalized the safety aspect (which the organization stated were the result of strict reporting requirements and included incidents such as injuries, power outages and adult students leaving campus without approval). However, the abrupt suspension and potential long-term closure of Job Corps carries far-reaching implications, economists, employers, Attorneys General and members of Congress caution: If Job Corps goes dark, the Labor Department is cutting off a long-forged pipeline of young, Skilled Trades Workers not only when there’s a shortage but also when Trump’s seeking to revitalize the U.S. Manufacturing Industry.

To Continue Reading This Labor News Report, Go To: Trump wants more skilled tradespeople. His Labor Department is trying to cut off a pipeline of workers