Crs Reports- Recent Developments in the Job Corps Program

The Job Corps program is a job training and academic program for youth ages 16 to 24 who are low-income and have a barrier to employment, such as having dropped out of high school. It is administered by the Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA’s) Office of Job Corps in the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). Job Corps seeks to provide disadvantaged youth with the skills needed to obtain and hold jobs, enter the Armed Forces, or enroll in advanced training or higher education. The program was established under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 (P.L. 88-452), and was most recently reauthorized under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA, P.L. 113-128) through FY2020. The provisions of the law generally go into effect on July 1, 2015. Until then, the Workforce Investment Act (WIA, P.L. 105-220) specifies how the program is carried out. The FY2015 appropriation was $1.69 billion. This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) report provides an overview of recent developments in the program, including a gap in program funding, a proposal to close a limited number of centers, and changes in procurement practices for the operation of Job Corps centers: Gap in Program Funding: Congress appropriates funding for Job Corps under three accounts: Administration; Operations; and Construction, Rehabilitation, and Acquisition (CRA). Appropriations for the program have been approximately $1.6 billion to $1.7 billion in each year since FY2007. Of the three accounts, Operations is the largest, with funding ranging from $1.46 billion to $1.58 billion annually. Job Corps operates on a program year (PY) basis, which runs from July 1 through the following June 30. In both PY2011 and PY2012, the operations account experienced a funding shortfall. Congress authorized the transfer…