WASHINGTON — Aaliyah Taylor had just started training to become a certified nursing assistant when she learned her future plans could be in jeopardy because of the federal government.
Taylor turned to Job Corps, the nation’s largest residential training program, so she could have a place to live, get an education, and kickstart her healthcare career to eventually become a nurse. She was previously working in retail jobs.
“For me, it started to become a necessity, because while I was living on my own, I didn’t have time to juggle work and education along with taking care of other parts of life that I had to take care of,” Taylor told Alabama Daily News.
She came to the Montgomery Job Corps Center just weeks before the U.S. Department of Labor announced a pause of the federally funded program for at-risk youth at its 99 contract-operated centers nationwide last week. The department said the pause would occur by the end of June.
“That really put a pit in my stomach,” Taylor said.
A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order Wednesday, stopping the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back the country’s largest vocational program for ages 16-24. However, Job Corps students are still reeling from the uncertainty of what could happen to the program that’s opened doors for their futures.
John Barlow started the welding program a month ago in Montgomery. He said he was “terrified” when he learned about the pause.
“I came from being homeless before this, so I was really scared I was gonna have to go back into that environment, not knowing where my next meal was going to be, not knowing if I’d have a safe place to sleep at night,” Barlow told ADN.
The Montgomery Job Corps Center has about 160 students and 90 staff members. The other center in Alabama, located in Gadsden, was also impacted.
The Labor Department’s decision to cease operations at Job Corps centers is part of the Trump administration’s effort to shrink the federal government. Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer cited incident reports, financial struggles, and low graduation rates as reasons for cutting the program.
The National Job Corps Association has pushed back on those claims. Frank Coiro, director of the Montgomery Job Corps Center, also said those concerns aren’t reflected in what he’s seen on the ground during his more than 25 years working with Job Corps.
“There’s just a multitude of different avenues and options for these young people, and of course, it’s free of charge to them, but it also provides them with a stable place to live, if that’s what they need,” Coiro said.
Coiro said the temporary restraining order allows the center in Montgomery to remain open for now.
Barlow said having the opportunity to pursue welding will make a huge difference in his life.
“It’s a very lucrative opportunity, and that would help me get started on my life, essentially be helping me put my life together, get my own apartment, my own car, stuff such as that,” Barlow told ADN.
Job Corps also offers students the ability to earn a high school diploma or GED along with learning a trade. Jehtia Reed entered the center in Montgomery about six months ago to finish her diploma and learn electrical skills.
“It was much easier than just regular, traditional school, and much quicker as well, much more engaging, and I feel included and accepted,” Reed said.
U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, who represents Montgomery, said the efforts to stop the training program make it tougher to encourage young people to join the workforce.
“We’re at a point in Alabama where we need to be doing everything we can to further develop our workforce to be able to provide the jobs and the employees of the industries that we have in our state and those that were recruiting to come in and those that we are recruiting to expand operations in our state,” Figures told ADN.
Coiro said he’s choosing to remain positive about the future of a program that he’s been involved with for more than two decades.
“Nothing has prepared me or any of my staff for what we’ve been dealing with,” he said. “It’s just been a challenge.”
Taylor, Barlow, and Reed all agreed that Job Corps has provided them a welcoming environment and unique opportunities that have set them on a promising trajectory for their futures.
“They give us foundation to become responsible adults too,” Taylor said. “They teach us how to live independently and manage our finances, manage different relationships and navigate issues that we may have in workplaces and with personal relationships.”