Federal Judge Halts Jobs Corps Shutdown, At Least Temporarily
Judge grants injunction stopping U.S. Department of Labor's plan to shut down vocational schools.
Milwaukee Jobs Corps Center, 6665 N. 60th St. Photo taken June 3, 2025 by Graham Kilmer.
A federal judge in New York has granted a motion temporarily blocking the federal government from shutting down vocational schools across the country, including one in Milwaukee.
The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced a “pause” of operations at Jobs Corps Centers across the country. The centers provide residential vocational school for young people 16 to 24 years old. Many of the students are coming from extreme poverty, homelessness, foster care system and have struggled in the traditional education system.
The operational pause, however, amounted to an elimination of the programs. President Donald Trump‘s proposed budget for 2026 does not include funding for Jobs Corps, centers were receiving notices telling them to shutdown operations and begin moving out students.
Attorneys for the National Jobs Corps Association (NJCA) filed a motion arguing the shutdown is illegal and “fundamentally irrational.” The attorneys argued the Department of Labor is illegally impounding Congressionally approved funds and violating federal law regarding the proper procedure for federal agencies.
On June 4, Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr. of the Southern District of New York issued an order prohibiting the labor department and Sec. Lori Chavez-DeRemer from taking any action contributing to the elimination of the federal Jobs Corps program while a larger case plays out.
The Jobs Corps Center in Milwaukee, 6665 N. 60th St., was providing education and career training for more than 200 students when it received the notice. The Milwaukee center is run by Horizon Youth Services, which also runs three other centers around the country.
The Jobs Corps programs provides technical training and preparation for careers in masonry, HVAC, nurse assisting and welding, among others. Students have access to job placement services or help attaining apprenticeships.
“For generations, Job Corps has provided life-changing education and hands-on training to young people looking for a pathway to a better future,” said Donna Hay, President and CEO of the National Job Corps Association (NJCA). “These students are often overcoming significant personal and economic challenges and Job Corps gives them the ability to gain the skills they need to build meaningful careers.”
Congress created the Jobs Corps program through the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. It was one of the landmark bills of President Lyndon B. Johnson‘s “War on Poverty” and “Great Society” program. In the intervening years, it has provided education to millions of young people coming from challenging backgrounds, who struggle with traditional schooling while living in poverty, foster care or experiencing homelessness. In 2025, the program was educating 25,000 students across the country.
Along with creating it, Congress has repeatedly sustained it with funding and legislation governing its functioning: the program was already funded by Congress through 2026.
Like many of the cuts to federal government programs since the Trump administration took office, according to NJCA attorneys, the elimination of Jobs Corps came at the direction of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the government agency set up by and, until recently, run by the richest man in the world: Elon Musk.
For months the labor department was moving the program toward elimination, according to NJCA attorneys.. In early April it began by eliminating the mechanisms — like background checks and medical screenings — needed to enroll new students. Then the department started canceling procurements for centers. By the end of April, the department “effectively terminated its provision of internet service to Job Corps campuses.”
Russell T. Vought, an architect of Project 2025 and the Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, submitted the presidents budget for 2026. It included provisions intended to “Make America Skilled Again” including a cut to all funding for the Jobs Corps program.
By the end of May, the centers started receiving notices telling them to “begin immediately all work necessary to provide a safe, orderly, and prompt shutdown of center operations” and to make sure students take “all personal belongings” with them when they leave their dormitories.
“Shuttering Job Corps will have disastrous, irreparable consequences, including displacing tens of thousands of vulnerable young people, destroying companies that have long operated Job Corps centers in reliance on the Government’s support for the program, and forcing mass layoffs of workers who support the program,” according to the NJCA motion.
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“Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training, and community,” said Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. “However, a startling number of serious incident reports and our in-depth fiscal analysis reveal the program is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve. We remain committed to ensuring all participants are supported through this transition and connected with the resources they need to succeed as we evaluate the program’s possibilities.”
The Job Corps program has faced significant financial challenges under its current operating structure. In PY 2024, the program operated at a $140 million deficit, requiring the Biden administration to implement a pause in center operations to complete the program year. The deficit is projected to reach $213 million in PY 2025.
On April 25, 2025, the department’s Employment and Training Administration released the first-ever Job Corps Transparency Report, which analyzed the financial performance and operational costs of the most recently available metrics of program year 2023. A summary of the overall findings:
Average Graduation Rate (WIOA Definition): 38.6%
Average Cost Per Student Per Year: $80,284.65
Average Total Cost Per Graduate (WIOA Definition): $155,600.74
Post separation, participants earn $16,695 annually on average.
The total number of Serious Incident Reports for program year 2023: 14,913 infractions.
Inappropriate Sexual Behavior and Sexual Assaults Reported: 372
Acts of Violence Reported: 1,764
Breaches of Safety or Security: 1,167
Reported Drug Use: 2,702
Total Hospital Visits: 1,808
Corrections to False Statement about Job Corps in Recent Media Articles
There are many false or misleading statements about Job Corps in recent media coverage regarding U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) decision to shutter Job Corps campuses. Below are corrections and additional context.
False statement: Job Corps’ graduation rate is just 38.6%
The “transparency” report examines data from July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024. Job Corps’ current graduation rate is higher.
Like other schools and colleges, enrollment and graduates rates were depressed by Covid-19 policies. Historically, Job Corps graduation rates have been above 60%.
Under previous administrations, DOL began requiring students with a high school diploma to participate in remedial academic classrooms until they are “college-ready” regardless of whether that aligns with their career goals. This leads students to leave out of frustration and has caused a decline in graduation rates.
False statement: Job Corps costs as much as $155,600 per student
Job Corps costs less than $50,000 per enrollee according to DOL’s report.
This is an increase from a report during the first Trump administration which indicated the cost per enrollee was $34,301.
The increase is due almost entirely to Covid-19 restrictions on the number of students Job Corps is allowed to serve, some of which are still in place.
False statement: Job Corps’ cost per graduate is higher than 4-year colleges
49% of 4-year college students graduate within 4 years. At an average cost of $38,270, that amounts to a cost per graduate of $312,408.
35% of community college students graduate within 3 years. At an average cost of $11,884 per year, that amounts to a cost per graduate of $110,717.
A report during the first Trump administration, prior to Covid-19 policies, reported Job Corps’ average cost per graduate to be $57,312.
False statement: Job Corps is no longer achieving its intended outcomes
Job Corps graduates exceeded the wage goals set by DOL in PY 2023.
False statement: Job Corps students are largely hired in minimum-wage positions, earning $16,695
Job Corps students were placed in jobs earning an average wage of $17.13 during PY 2023, more than twice the minimum wage of $7.25. Graduates earned annualized wages of more than $31,000.
Misleading statement: There are fewer than 25,000 students enrolled
Job Corps enrollments were greater than 25,000 and increasing in April but have since declined because DOL halted enrollments in March.
Misleading statement: There were 14,913 serious incident reports filed in 2023
Per DOL’s reporting requirements, these “serious” incidents include power outages and inclement weather, athletic injuries that require treatment, and adult students leaving campus
I would value Mike Rowe’s analysis and opinion on the apparently conflicting data presented in the foregoing two posts. I say that as he is an informed, neutral, and highly experienced expert regarding job skills training such as administered via Job Corps Centers. I haven’t been able to find Rowe’s commentary if he has offered it publicly… help?