What is Job Corps - as thousands of students in limbo after Judge blocks Trump administration's effort to eliminate centers

Job Corps is the largest U.S. job training program for low-income youth. The program was created in 1964 to offer free residential education and job training to low-income teens and young adults.

It allows 16-to-24-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds to obtain high school diplomas or an equivalent, vocational certificates and licenses and on-the-job training. The program currently serves about 25,000 people at 120 Job Corps centers run by contractors.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter in Manhattan issued a temporary restraining order in a lawsuit filed by a trade group representing contractors that operate Job Corps centers. Carter ordered the government not to terminate Job Corps contractors or stop work at Job Corps centers until a further ruling in the case, and he ordered the Labor Department to appear at a court hearing on June 17.

The lawsuit alleges that the U.S. Department of Labor is violating federal law and its own regulations by abruptly shuttering the program, a plan the agency announced last week. U.S. Department of Labor announced last week: “The U.S. Department of Labor today announced it will begin a phased pause in operations at contractor-operated Job Corps centers nationwide, initiating an orderly transition for students, staff, and local communities.

“The decision follows an internal review of the program’s outcome and structure and will be carried out in accordance with available funding, the statutory framework established under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and congressional notification requirements. The pause of operations at all contractor-operated Job Corps centers will occur by June 30, 2025.

“As the transition begins, the department is collaborating with state and local workforce partners to assist current students in advancing their training and connecting them with education and employment opportunities.” The National Job Corps Association and other plaintiffs in Tuesday's lawsuit said the Labor Department does not have the power to dismantle a program established and funded by Congress.