KDSN RADIO News
Federal job training centers in Denison, Ottumwa to close
The Trump Administration is closing all Job Corps Centers in the U.S. by the end of this month, including centers in Denison and Ottumwa.
The federal program has provided free education, vocational training and housing to young adults since 1964, but a recent U.S. Department of Labor analysis concludes the centers cost too much to operate and have a national graduation rate of 38%. Representative Steven Holt, a Republican from Denison, said that’s not the case in Denison, where the graduation rate is over 94 percent.
“That federal data may be indicative of some of the centers, but it’s certainly not indicative of the centers here in Denison and Ottumwa,” Holt said. “They’re very successful. They’re very important to our communities, to the young people that are served by them and I’m hoping we can get this changed.”
Representative Hans Wilz, a Republican from Ottumwa, said the center in his community has been highly successful. “They’re not just going to Job Corps. They’re working in our businesses,” Wilz said. “…Their placement rate is 90%.”
The students at the Denison Job Corps Center have been told to leave by June 12, according to Holt.
“It just seems to be happening very, very quickly and so that is a big concern to me. These are some young people who are, in some cases, going to be homeless and don’t have anywhere else to go,” Holt said. “…These young people, in a lot of cases, have had their trust violated over and over again and now here is a situation where they’re are going to feel like something they could believe in to give them these opportunities has also turned out not to be there for them.”
Wilz said the 240 students in Ottumwa also have to find somewhere else to live by June 12 and there’s a job fair today in Ottumwa to try to help them find jobs and get a fresh start in adulthood. “These kids are out there, going to make a livable wage, have a family, get involved in their community, be great employers for the company they’re with,” Wilz said.
Wilz said the program has worked closely with Ottumwa High School and Indian Hills Community College to help at risk students find success.
(Sheila Brummer, Iowa Public Radio contributed to this story.)
