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Job Corps is the nation's largest and oldest job training program for at-risk youth ages 16-24. The program was created through Public Law 88-452 August 20, 1964 as part of Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty. Since its inception, the program has provided more than 1.9 million disadvantaged young people with the vital residential, academic, vocational, and social skills needed to become productive members of society. Job Corps provides economically disadvantaged youths with an environment where they learn job skills, attain their High School Diploma, G.E.D.'s, and learn social and character skills in order to become responsible, productive citizens.
Currently, there are 118 Job Corps Centers across the United States, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands; of which 10 are operated by the Department of the Interior. Job Corps, a powerful Department of Labor job-training program, has been a partner with the NPS since the program's inception in 1964. These Job Corps Centers are managed by the National Park Service and funded by the Department of Labor.The Program Manager in the Youth Programs Division is responsible for overseeing the overall direction of the Job Corps Programs in the National Park Service. This unique relationship combines the powerful initiative of the Job Corps mission with the conservation and natural resource protection mission of the National Park Service.
At present, the Youth Programs Division manages three Job Corps Centers (JCC) for the US Department of Labor, which together serve more than 800 youth. The three Centers are: Harper’s Ferry JCC, located next to Harper’s Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia; Oconalufftee JCC, located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina; and Great Onyx, located in Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. After completing training at a Job Corps Center, graduates may be eligible for employment in parks through such programs as the Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP), the Student Career Employment Program (SCEP), etc. These programs provide youth with an opportunity to seek out parks interested in hiring JCC graduates. Park personnel staff, superintendents, and division chiefs should contact program staff at the Washington Office and use their assistance to recruit a Job Corps student.
For further information about Job Corps, you can call 1-800-733-JOBS and visit their website on the above logo, or call the Youth Programs Division at (202) 513-7146.
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