Job Corps (1960s)
The Job Corps, established in the 1960s, is a program designed to support disadvantaged youth in gaining essential skills for employment and education. It was modeled after earlier New Deal initiatives, such as the Civilian Conservation Corps, and emerged from concerns about the high rejection rates of impoverished young people seeking to join the armed forces. The program was officially launched under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society agenda aimed at combating poverty.
Initially, the Job Corps offered diverse activities, including conservation and vocational training, with specific provisions for both urban and rural enrollees. Over time, the program evolved in response to changing political and economic contexts, including budget cuts due to the Vietnam War. By the late 1960s, control of the Job Corps was transferred to the Department of Labor, leading to a shift towards urban residential centers.
Despite criticisms regarding its cost-effectiveness, the Job Corps has been impactful in providing educational opportunities, such as General Educational Diplomas, and vocational training, particularly for women and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. By the late 1990s, the program had expanded to over a hundred centers across the United States, continuing to serve as a vital resource for youth seeking to improve their life prospects.
Job Corps (1960s)
A federal government program designed to prepare economically and socially disadvantaged youth to lead productive lives in the labor market. It offers educational and vocational training, work opportunities, counseling, meals, health care, and other support services in residential living centers.
Origins and History
The Job Corps, which targets youth participation in conservation work, is modeled after similar programs developed during the New Deal era of the 1930’s, including the Civilian Conservation Corps. Early attempts to introduce a residential youth conservation corps failed to gain full congressional support in 1958. Later, the House of Representatives rejected a proposal that promoted provisions for rural conservation projects and federal job-creation programs in urban areas.
In 1963, the presidential Task Force on Manpower Conservation published a report, entitled One-Third of a Nation, which highlighted the rejection rates of armed forces applicants from impoverished backgrounds. The task force’s findings served as documented evidence for promoting the implementation of the Job Corps. Along with other social programs created as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society, the Job Corps was resubmitted as part of the antipoverty bill. The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 included Title I, which provided for the establishment of the Job Corps by which young people could gain basic and advanced skills.
Activities
Initially, 40 percent of participants were assigned to conservation centers, and others were placed in either rural or urban facilities. Rural centers offered enrollees general educational instruction and work opportunities on conservation projects. Urban centers provided vocational training for individuals with at least a sixth-grade education. Other centers served women, who were expected to fill one-third of Job Corps openings.
Private businesses and the Departments of Defense and Labor competed for control of the Job Corps. In 1964, President Johnson appointed R. Sargent Shriver to head the Office of Economic Opportunity. Under Shriver’s leadership, the office supervised the administrative and operational aspects of the program. By 1966, the Job Corps consisted of one thousand to three thousand men’s centers, more than eighty conservation centers, and seventeen women’s centers. All of these facilities provided housing, health care, food, counseling, and educational and vocational programs for participants.
The escalation of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War in the late 1960’s led to budget cuts and changes in the design of the Job Corps. Congress limited the number of enrollees to forty-five thousand and reduced the amount of money allotted to each individual. Other aspects of the Job Corps also were altered. The original mandate requiring placement of 40 percent of participants in conservation centers was changed to apply to young men only. Women enrollees were increased from 23 percent to 25 percent. In 1969, President Richard M. Nixon transferred control of the Job Corps from the Office of Economic Opportunity to the Department of Labor. Under the administration of the Department of Labor, several conservation, men’s, and women’s centers were closed and replaced with cost-efficient urban residential centers that ran urban manpower programs.
Impact
The Job Corps provides immense opportunities for disadvantaged youth to gain essential academic and employment skills. Young people with educational difficulties can earn their General Education Diploma (a high school diploma equivalency) and continue their studies in junior colleges or vocational schools for technical training. However, critics charge that the improvement in employment and wages has been too small in relation to the program’s relatively high costs.
Subsequent Events
Federal funding for the modified Job Corps program was continued under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act of 1973. The Department of Labor established regional offices responsible for recruitment and daily administration of Job Corps centers in local areas. In 1982, Title IV-B of the Job Training and Partnership Act authorized Job Corps services. The Nontraditional Employment for Women Act of 1991 widened the scope of the Job Training and Partnership Act, which encourages increased training and job placement of women in positions traditionally held by men. In the late 1990’s, a network of more than one hundred Job Corps centers existed in forty-six states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. Eighteen centers known as the Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers were run by the Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Additional Information
A detailed assessment of the history and early phase of the programs can be found in The Job Corps: A Social Experiment that Works (1975). A brief but informative account of federal employment and training programs is outlined in A Working Woman’s Guide to Her Job Rights (1992).