The U.S. Department of Labor last week announced it would shut down Job Corps, the free education and job training program for low-income young adults nationwide, by June 30, shocking students at program sites across the country and leaving them uncertain about their futures.

The decision was criticized by lawmakers and program leaders alike, including Ashton Stripling, director of the Job Corps Academy in Edison, one of more than 130 centers operating nationwide.

“We serve annually 417 students a year. They are at risk of losing their education, at risk of not having shelter, at risk of not having three hot meals a day, losing health care, at risk of returning to the streets that they were trying to escape, and they are losing their safety net here.”

Tyrone Brown Jr. who attends Edison Job Corps Academy says he was homeless on the streets before Job Corps. “Job Corps saved my life on another level,” Brown said. “I just got my carpentry certificate. My biggest fear is that a lot of students don’t have places to go at all. As soon as we heard the news, a lot of students were crying in their dorms, not knowing what to do and what their next move is going to be.”

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer cited a surge in “serious incident reports” as a key factor behind the decision to shutter the program. She said that in 2023 alone, nearly 15,000 incidents were reported, including cases of violence, drug use, and inappropriate sexual behavior — “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.”

As a former participant in the program, Stripling points to his own journey as proof of Job Corps’ impact. “I went from an at-risk student to center director of the same program that helped me and [am] currently working on my Ph.D degree,” Stripling said.

Stripling says Job Corps provides a lifeline for low-income students, offering training in high-demand careers and a pathway to lasting stability, and that advocates are planning a rally at the Job Corps’ Edison campus in two weeks to raise awareness and support. In the meantime, he’s calling on community partners to help students navigate the transition as the program winds down.