ETA News Release: [March 23, 2005]
Contact Name: Mike Volpe or Eryn Witcher
Phone Number: 202-693-3984 or 202-693-4676
Job Corps Adds Oilfield Services and Youth Challenge Programs to Its
Portfolio in Louisiana
CARVILLE, La. - Assistant Secretary of Labor Emily Stover DeRocco and Rep. Richard Baker (R-La.) today announced the launch of two new programs at Job Corps in Carville, La. In a first-in-the-nation arrangement, the Carville Job Corps site has recently included training courses in oilfield services. The second addition links the Youth ChalleNGe to the Carville Job Corps Academy in a two-year pilot program to provide career preparation and mentoring for 16- to 18-year-old high school dropouts.
"I am pleased that the Carville Job Corps Academy has made this partnership with oilfield services companies come to life in the classroom. The first 17 graduates of this program will be ready to work and reduce worker shortages at drilling operations in a matter of weeks," said DeRocco. "I want to commend Congressman Baker's leadership in this program as well as in linking Job Corps with Youth ChalleNGe. The Youth ChalleNGe pilot program will take advantage of the vocational training opportunities the Job Corps system provides with the mentor-based instruction of the Youth ChalleNGe. We look forward to the combination of these new approaches paying off in participants' lives."
"Both the Youth ChalleNGe and Job Corps centers provide Louisiana young people the opportunity to achieve brighter futures, and it makes practical sense to link the programs more closely in order to increase the kind of continuity of training that helps students prepare for real-world careers," Baker said.
Students in oilfield services will complete a course as Roustabout Operators which will provide them with a basic orientation in rig operations and safe practices and equip them with several certifications for working in the oilfield industry.
Youth ChalleNGe is a state National Guard-run residential program for 16- to 18-year-olds that operates in 26 states. The program consists of boot camp, followed by classroom training that focuses on leadership, community service, job readiness and academic development. New Job Corps students from Louisiana Youth ChalleNGe will be able to select from nine trades to continue building skills for advancing their careers as well as take advantage of Job Corps' career placement services.
Job Corps is primarily a residential education and vocational training program run from 122 centers and administered by the U.S. Department of Labor. For more information on Job Corps, please visit http://jobcorps.doleta.gov/. For more information on the Louisiana Youth ChalleNGe program, please visit http://www.layouthchallenge.org/.
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