Congress awarded the Job Corps program $1.76 billion in funding through Sept. 30 as part of the $1.2 trillion package approved Saturday. This maintains the program’s fiscal 2023 funding level, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
Individuals enrolled in the Job Corps program are 16 through 24 years old and come from low-income backgrounds. They must meet citizenship or residency requirements and meet other background requirements. The program provides housing, meals and medical care, as well as books and supplies while students receive on-the-job training in a variety of disciplines.
Proposed funding cuts last summer had threatened to eliminate programs including Job Corps and reduce grants for workforce and apprenticeship programs. Congress at the time proposed to abolish the Department of Labor’s Job Corps program as part of a 30% reduction to the agency’s fiscal year 2024 budget.
“These proposed cuts to workforce programs are penny wise and pound foolish, jeopardizing gains that have been made to fill millions of jobs in the wake of the ‘great resignation,’ ” Argentum Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Maggie Elehwany said in July.
Argentum has partnered with Management & Training Corp. (MTC) to help meet a strategic plan goal of building a reliable pool of competent senior living workers while fulfilling MTC’s mission to provide Job Corps students with updated training, real world-based learning experiences and gainful employment.
In spite of opposition from business groups, some lawmakers had asserted that cutting the Job Corps program was necessary given budgetary constraints.
“NAHB has worked long and hard to secure proper Jobs Corps funding and this legislation represents a major win for our industry,” the organization said.
“A severe shortage of labor in the construction industry is worsening the housing affordability crisis through higher home building costs and construction delays,” NAHB said. “In any given month, there is a shortage of between 325,000 and 400,000 construction workers, and home builders will need to add 2.2 million new workers over the next three years just to keep up with demand.”
