Hearing Will Explore Shortfall, Highlight Impact that Cuts Are Having on At-Risk Youth and Workers
Washington, DC- U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), today, announced a congressional hearing into the funding shortfall of the Job Corps program that has impacted students and workers across the state and nation.
“The Jobs Corps plays a critical role in helping at-risk youth be competitive in the workforce, and there are still too many unanswered questions about how this shortfall occurred,” Senator Casey said. “I look forward to this hearing as a first step in providing a measure of accountability at the Department of Labor for this shortfall.”
Just announced a hearing into Job Corps shortfall that has impacted over 230 Philly students, Cost 40 Jobs - foursquare.com/senbobcasey/ch…
— Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) March 4, 2013
Senator Casey, Chairman of the Health Education and Labor Committee’s (HELP) Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, was joined today by students and workers in Philadelphia who have been impacted by the funding shortfall.
The Department of Labor recently announced an enrollment freeze at Job Corps Programs around the country which will cost 450 jobs in Pennsylvania and prohibit the ability of at-risk youth to receive critical job training skills
In past years, Job Corps serves approximately 100,000 disadvantaged youth at 125 Job Corps centers across the country, four of which are in Pennsylvania: Keystone (Drums, PA), Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Red Rock (Lopez, PA). These facilities provide disadvantaged youth with the opportunity to gain the skills needed to secure a good job, enter the Armed Services, or further their education. Students, educators and community leaders rely on the contributions Pennsylvania’s Job Corps centers make to their communities. Senator Casey has visited some of these centers in Pennsylvania.
|
Center |
Pre-freeze Students |
Projected Students 6/30/13 |
Students Lost |
Pre-freeze Staff |
Projected Staff 6/30/13 |
Staff Lost |
|
Keystone |
600 |
204 |
396 |
244 |
68 |
176 |
|
Philadelphia |
355 |
121 |
234 |
86 |
40 |
40 |
|
Pittsburgh |
745 |
350 |
395 |
283 |
94 |
189 |
|
Red Rock |
521 |
198 |
323 |
136 |
86 |
50 |
The hearing will be held:
Tuesday, March 12th at 2:30 in 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building.
Invited Panelists:
- Antoine Dixon, National Director of Job Corps for the US Forest Service
- Jane Oates, Assistant Secretary of the Employment and Training Administration
- Elliot Lewis, Assistant Inspector General for Audit
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