Job Corps is the nation's largest and most comprehensive
residential, education and job training program for at-risk youth, ages
16 through 24. Since its inauguration in 1964, under the Economic
Opportunity Act, Job Corps has provided more than 2 million
disadvantaged young people with the integrated academic, vocational, and
social skills training they need to gain independence and get quality,
long-term jobs or further their education.
Today, Job Corps continues to serve nearly 70,000 students a year at 118
Job Corps centers throughout the country. Operating within the Career
Development Services System (CDSS), Job Corps training is composed of
five stages: Outreach and Admissions (OA), Career Preparation Period (CPP),
Career Development Period (CDP), Career Transition Period (CTP), and
Career. The fundamental goal of the process is to help students achieve
their career objective. For more information about CDSS, visit our
website at "www.jccdrc.org".
Job Corps is a public-private partnership, administered by the U. S.
Department of Labor (DOL), Employment &Training Administration's (ETA),
Office of Youth Services (OYS). If you;re looking for an opportunity,
Job Corps is looking for you!
The International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) has proudly
participated in the Job Corps Training Program for the past 36 years.
Thousands of economically disadvantaged young adults have benefited from
the IUOE Job Corps Training Program and have continued their success by
becoming productive operating engineers, apprenticeship and training
instructors, local union business agents and contractors.
Presently, the IUOE contracts with the US Departments of Labor and
Agriculture to provide craft training at 13 Job Corps Centers.
Thirty operating engineer instructors, who are all IUOE Local
members, annually train 450 young adults in heavy equipment operation,
heavy equipment maintenance and repair, surveying, stationary
engineering, and basic and advanced asphalt paving. The IUOE Job Corps
Training Program is a pre-apprenticeship program, and depending on the
student, training typically lasts one year. Instruction consists of
classroom, hands-on equipment training and community service projects as
well as social skills training designed to enhance the employability of
each young adult. Upon completion of training, students are referred to
local unions for apprenticeship or directly to jobs.
In addition to the benefits the youth receive through craft training,
the local communities continue to reap the rewards of the IUOE Job Corps
Training Program. Each of the IUOE Job Corps Training Programs is
involved in projects which save the government and non-profit
organizations thousands of dollars annually. Some of the many
organizations the IUOE Job Corps Training Program has done community
service work for are: Tennessee State Park System, Sullivan County
Sheriff's Office, Habitat for Humanity, Albany Parks and Recreation,
City of Beaumont, City of Moreno Valley, City of Sacramento Police
Department, Yakima Humane Society, Indian Creek High School, Duck Creek
Township, City of Puxico, City of Altus, and the College of Ozarks.
These projects have included work such as paving, grade work, building
athletic fields, slope staking, finish grade stakes and storm drain
stakes. In addition, the students do work on many Job Corps centers
around the country, saving the federal government thousands of dollars.
IUOE Job Corps Training Program continues to provide some of the highest
starting wages to its graduates. The success is due to the hard work of
the staff, instructors, graduates and the cooperation of the IUOE Locals
and their training programs. In addition to the twenty-nine instructors,
the IUOE Job Corps Training Program staff consists of 12 coordinators
and administrative personnel who are all Local IUOE Union members.
A new Job Corps Training Program, located in New Haven, Connecticut,
began training students in Stationary Engineering in Spring 2003. Local
3 is the newest partner in this opportunity to offer training to
disadvantaged youth.Perhaps the most significant achievement of the IUOE Job Corps Training
Program in recent times has been its preservation in an era of
governmental budget reductions following the events of 9/11.
Based on its previous success, Job Corps has received bipartisan support
and continues to receive adequate funding to continue operations. In
September 2002, IUOE Job Corps signed a one-year contract with four
additional option years for its Department of Agriculture Training
Centers. The IUOE Job Corps retained "Sole Source" status for this
contract. There is one option year left with the Department of Labor
contract, expected to be renewed next year.
The IUOE and Job Corps has maintained its successful partnership for the
past 36 years. The partnership continues due to the mutual benefit
derived by the economically disadvantaged youth, who are provided a
bright career path through craft training and continuing support, and
the IUOE, which is provided a steady source of good members.
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