There are many false or misleading statements about Job Corps in recent media coverage regarding U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) decision to shutter Job Corps campuses. Below are corrections and additional context.

False statement: Job Corps’ graduation rate is just 38.6%

• The “transparency” report examines data from July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024. Job Corps’ current graduation rate is higher.
• Like other schools and colleges, enrollment and graduates rates were depressed by Covid-19 policies. Historically, Job Corps graduation rates have been above 60%.
• Under previous administrations, DOL began requiring students with a high school diploma to participate in remedial academic classrooms until they are “college-ready” regardless of whether that aligns with their career goals. This leads students to leave out of frustration and has caused a decline in graduation rates.

False statement: Job Corps costs as much as $155,600 per student

• Job Corps costs less than $50,000 per enrollee according to DOL’s report.
• This is an increase from a report during the first Trump administration which indicated the cost per enrollee was $34,301.
• The increase is due almost entirely to Covid-19 restrictions on the number of students Job Corps is allowed to serve, some of which are still in place.

False statement: Job Corps’ cost per graduate is higher than 4-year colleges

• 49% of 4-year college students graduate within 4 years. At an average cost of $38,270, that amounts to a cost per graduate of $312,408.
• 35% of community college students graduate within 3 years. At an average cost of $11,884 per year, that amounts to a cost per graduate of $110,717.
• A report during the first Trump administration, prior to Covid-19 policies, reported Job Corps’ average cost per graduate to be $57,312.

False statement: Job Corps is no longer achieving its intended outcomes

• Job Corps graduates exceeded the wage goals set by DOL in PY 2023.

False statement: Job Corps students are largely hired in minimum-wage positions, earning $16,695

• Job Corps students were placed in jobs earning an average wage of $17.13 during PY 2023, more than twice the minimum wage of $7.25. Graduates earned annualized wages of more than $31,000.

Misleading statement: There are fewer than 25,000 students enrolled

• Job Corps enrollments were greater than 25,000 and increasing in April but have since declined because DOL halted enrollments in March.

Misleading statement: There were 14,913 serious incident reports filed in 2023

• Per DOL’s reporting requirements, these “serious” incidents include power outages and inclement weather, athletic injuries that require treatment, and adult students leaving campus without prior approval.