Job Corps is a free education and job training program run by the US Department of Labor. Low-income youth 16 – 24 can earn their high school diploma or GED and receive job training in a variety of disciplines from automotive collision repair to culinary arts to Certified Nurses Assistant. Programs vary by site.
There are six Job Corps sites in Oregon: Angell Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center, Partners in Vocational Opportunity Training (PIVOT) Job Corps Center, Springdale Job Corps Center, Timber Lake Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center, Tongue Point Job Corps Center, Wolf Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center. Most of the centers are residential, although PIVOT (in Portland) is non-residential and some of the center have a commuter option.
When I was at the Women in Trades Fair in May, working with some Cleveland High School girls who were teaching robotics, a group from the Wolf Creek center took our workshop and blew all our other participants out of the water. Compared to the other workshop groups, these girls were the fastest learners, the most confident, and had built and dismantled a chasse in half the time all the other groups took to put two wheels on. Enjoy these success stories, including an Idaho Court of Appeals Judge who got his GED at Job Corps.
A friend of mine reports that her son, who was coasting for quite a while, has blossomed in the Forestry program at Wolf Creek, responding well to the structure and rigor of the program. Each site is run differently, but most include Student Government, Clubs, Committees and recreational opportunities for students. There are strict rules with regard to conduct with a zero tolerance policy for drug and alcohol use.
My son has been so lucky to be in the job corps. A wonderful program!