EXETER, RI – In a misguided attempt to illegally shutter federal Job Corps centers across the nation, the Trump Administration has rehashed an old plan from President Donald Trump’s first term to place students, staff, and employers in limbo. U.S. Senator Jack Reed helped defeat that first effort and is working to ensure the second attempt meets the same fate.

With no regard for currently enrolled students, staff, and local employers who rely on the talent of Job Corps students across the country, the Trump Administration has directed the removal of more than 25,000 16 to 24-year-old Job Corps students who reside on 99 Job Corps campuses nationwide, including Rhode Island’s Exeter Job Corps.

After being prohibited from stepping foot on Job Corps property, U.S. Senator Jack Reed today met with representatives from Exeter Job Corps’ student government, student veterans, staff, and local employers just outside the Exeter facility.

“Everyone who has visited a federal Job Corps center knows the power of this program and the opportunity, success, and support it unlocks for students. It’s why one of the very first things I did as a Senator was fight for Rhode Island to have its own Job Corps Center,” said Reed.  “Today, after planning a visit weeks in advance, I’m prevented from visiting this center, from seeing these talented students show off their welding skills and electronics engineering ingenuity and learning about the stories of student leaders and soon-to-be graduates. I wish President Trump and Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer would spend time learning about the importance of the Job Corps program instead of trying to illegally eliminate these opportunities for young Americans. I beat back President Trump’s attempt to shutter this essential program during his first term. I’m planning to do it again.” 

Job Corps empowers at-risk students to acquire industry-recognized credentials, high school diplomas or equivalents, and the social and employability skills needed to enter careers, the U.S. Armed Forces, apprenticeships, or post-secondary education.

With some students just months away from earning their diploma or professional license, they are now in limbo.  This week, a U.S District Judge temporarily blocked the Trump Administration from eliminating the Job Corps program while the legal process plays out.  A hearing is set for June 17.  But the Trump Administration is needlessly endangering the futures and livelihoods of thousands of students and Job Corps employees.

Reed recently confronted the U.S. Secretary of Labor during an Appropriations Committee hearing about the DOGE-directed, unsound, and misleading analysis that is being unjustifiably used as an excuse to halt Job Corps, telling her: “This is a calculated and not transparent, but deceptive report.”

Exeter Job Corps Center, which opened in 2004, provides free job-training in a variety of fields, including: computers, culinary arts, construction, hospitality, health fields, manufacturing, and other career paths, as well as transportation and dormitory-style housing for those who need it.  The programs are aligned with industry credentials and include work-based learning.

Exeter Job Corps Center is located at the site of the former Ladd Center off Route 2 in Exeter, with a capacity for 185 students, with rolling admissions throughout the year.  Exeter Job Corps Center employs a staff of about 85 and offers vocational training in 6 trades, a GED program, and two high school diploma programs.