‘Where do these kids go?’ Feds close KY job training sites for at-risk youth
Three Kentucky facilities that offer low-income young adults job training and other skills will shutter by the end of June.
The US Department of Labor announced Thursday it was pausing operations at an estimated 100 Job Corps sites operated by private contractors by June 30. The department cited high costs, low performance and reports of sexual assault and other problems in the nationwide program.
Three Job Corps sites on the chopping block are Carl D. Perkins Center in Prestonsburg, Earle C. Clements in Morganfield and the Muhlenberg Job Corp Center in Greenville. Details were included in a news release announcing the cessation of operations after more than 60 years of the program.
Officials with those centers did not immediately return phone calls asking for comment.
Three other Job Corps sites in Kentucky — located in Frenchburg, Mammoth Cave and Pine Knot — are operated by the US Forest Service a part of the US Department of Agriculture. Those USDA centers will remain open, labor officials said.
A center in Simpsonville was paused or closed in December, according to the Labor Department officials.
Federal labor officials said it would work with participants to transfer them to other programs so they can continue certifications or degrees. More than 25,000 people participate in the program across the country.
In 2023, Morganfield had close to 700 participants, Prestonsburg had 140 and Greenville had 217, according to labor statistics. There has been a freeze on new participants since January. It’s not known how many participants are currently at the three centers.
Those Job Corps participants are now scrambling to find a place to live, and hundreds of people who worked at the three Kentucky sites will be out of a job by the end of the month.
Hundreds out of jobs, young adults left with no support
Union County Judge Executive Adam O’Nan said the Earle C. Clements Job Corps site in Morganfield is one of the largest in the country. It has around 300 employees and has hundreds of participants. The residential program has been operating in Union County for 60 years.
O’Nan said Union County is worried about those participants — many are from outside Kentucky — and where they will go. He’s also worried about the employees at the center and their families.
“They are trying to fill workforce holes,” O’Nan said.
Electrical contractors, commercial drivers and other skilled labor jobs are in high demand. That’s the type of job training that Job Corps provides, he said.
“It’s unfortunate for our community, for these kids and for the job market,” O’Nan said.
O’Nan said the staff there is scrambling to find housing for their participants and trying to figure out ways those participants can complete training or have their schooling transferred to another program. They have less than 30 days to do it.
Green River Area Development District will be on-site soon to help the staff find other work. About 120 of the 300 staff live in Union County, O’Nan said.
“They have been great partners,” O’Nan said.
For instance, Morganfield had a flood two weeks ago. Job Corp participants helped fill sandbags and handed them out to residents, he said. They are also frequent partners in community events.
Floyd County Judge Executive Robbie Williams echoed O’Nan’s concerns. Williams said the Carl D. Perkins Job Corps site has operated in Floyd County for 40 years. The center employs 120 people who will soon be out of work.
Williams is also worried about those currently enrolled in the program.
“Where do these kids go?” Williams said. “I’m worried that a large number of these kids will be homeless.”
High costs, poor results
Created in 1964, Job Corps sites provide residential job-training services to young adults age 16 to 24, many of whom have been in foster care, juvenile detention or are homeless. The sites can provide training in various fields including construction, culinary sciences and healthcare, according to Job Corps information
In its news release, the Department of Labor said the cost to run the program continues to climb. Under former President Joe Biden’s administration, the program ran a deficit of $140 million, prompting the department to pause operations at some centers.
The current deficit at the centers is projected to hit $213 million, labor officials said.
A federal analysis of the Job Corps performance data also showed low graduation rates and high costs, federal officials said.
“Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training, and community,” said Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
“However, 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.”
The average graduation rate is around 38%, according to a Department of Labor analysis of Job Corps program metrics. The average cost per participant is around $80,000. Yet the average wage of those leaving the program is around $17,000.
Serious incidents at Job Corp sites across the country is also high and disconcerting, labor officials said. In 2023, there were more than 14,000 serious incidents reported including 372 incidents of sexual harassment and assaults and 1,764 acts of violence.
Data shows the Prestonsburg and Morganfield Job Corps sites have higher graduation rates then the national average.
Morganfield’s graduation rate was 47% in 2023, according to labor statistics. But the income of those leaving the program was below the national average —$13,000. Prestonsburg’s graduation rate was 55.6% and the income of those leaving the program was $16,507, labor data shows.
Williams, the Floyd County Judge Executive, said he understands the program has had issues in other parts of the country, but said the Prestonsburg Job Corps site has not.
“It’s easy to sit in Washington and look at these statistics and make these decisions,” Williams said.
Over the years, Williams has met many Job Corps participants and the staff there. Some of the participants have lots of needs and those needs cost money.
“For a lot of these kids, this is the only opportunity they have,” Williams said.
O’Nan agreed. He, too, thinks Earle C. Clements is a victim of a much larger problem within Job Corps. He understands difficult decisions and cuts need to be made on the federal level.
“But what may be difficult to calculate is what is the cost of not doing this program,” O’Nan said.
“What is the long-term effect of having people who aren’t trained? What are we going to be spending on the back-end of that? “
This story was originally published June 3, 2025 at 1:43 PM.
