Milwaukee Job Corps Center; local leaders denounce closing plans

Job Corps Center; local leaders denounce closing plans

Mayor Johnson and County Executive Crowley on Tuesday held a news conference to denounce Job Corps closing plans.

MILWAUKEE - Mayor Cavalier Johnson, along with County Executive David Crowley, former Mayor Tom Barrett and Alderwoman Larresa Taylor, on Tuesday, June 10 denounced plans to close the Milwaukee Job Corps Center. 

The Milwaukee Job Corps Center was planning to lay off workers and send students home after the U.S. Department of Labor said it was pausing the program. But a judge's recent ruling put that on hold.

What they're saying:

"The President's administration has set its sights on stopping the good work that's underway at this Job Corps Center and other Job Corps sites all across the U.S. Now, a judge in New York recently offered a temporary reprieve. But even with that, the future of Job Corps sites here and elsewhere -- they are still endangered," said Mayor Johnson. I don't believe that that should be the case. I don't think that anyone here thinks that should be the case."

Milwaukee Job Corps Center

The backstory:

The Milwaukee Job Corps Center was on the brink of shutting down. Some of its 237 students have already left.

The federal government contracts with Horizon Youth Services to run the Milwaukee Job Corps Center.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s job corps centers offer help to low-income students aged 16 to 24. They live, eat and train at the centers, like here in Milwaukee. The centers help students get a high school diploma and career and technical training.

What they're saying:

"For many vulnerable and challenged young people, Job Corps means hope. Job Corps means opportunity. It's a chance to get their lives on sound footing for a more structured life and better access to good-paying job opportunities," said Mayor Johnson. 

"I worked on this project beginning in 1993. As a freshman member of Congress, I decided that we needed here in Milwaukee, a Job Corps Center. It took 17 years. I referred to it as my 17-year overnight sensation because, when it finally opened, it really fulfilled a dream that I had to give young people in this community, in this state, a chance to succeed," said former Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. 

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Over a week ago, the U.S. Department of Labor said it was pausing programs across the country.

Then, on Monday, June 2, Horizons Youth Services reported to the state of Wisconsin it was going to lay off 100 workers. These layoffs were expected to be permanent.

Then a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration, meaning the job corps centers will stay open – for now.

Dig deeper:

The U.S. Department of Labor said the national job corps program is failing. It says the deficit last year was $140 million. This year, it estimates it'll be $213 million.

Government records show the national average for graduates of the program in 2023 was 38%, and Milwaukee's was a bit lower, at about 33%.

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Milwaukee Job Corps Center was to close before judge's temporary block

A U.S. judge temporarily stopped the Trump administration from moving ahead with an effort to eliminate the Job Corps, including Milwaukee's.

The U.S. Department of Labor said the national average cost per graduate is $155,000. Milwaukee does better, with $125,000.

The Milwaukee center said since it opened in 2011, roughly 2,500 students have completed the technical training, and about 1,500 completed high school diplomas.

The Trump administration also said sites across the country have also had serious incidents, including violence, drugs and hospital visits.