Job Corps Saved, Local Program to Continue

After months of unwavering tension over the fate of the National Job Corps Association, its leader announced in a letter late July that the program will be fully funded for next year. 

“We are pleased to report that the Senate Appropriation Committee level funds for the Job Corps for [fiscal year 2026]. In addition, the bill also contains new statutory language to constrain the ability of the Department of Labor to close Job Corps centers,” said Donna Hay, its president and chief executive officer.

In Northern Nevada, the news was welcomed enthusiastically by Leslie Mix, the business relations specialist for the Sierra Nevada Job Corps.

“In large part, that good news happened because of you! Your efforts, your letters, emails, phone calls, and social media posts all made a difference,” Mix said by email. “Our voices matter. Our voices are being heard.”

Noticiero Movil had previously reported in June that an injunction was issued against the closure of Job Corps, which had been previously ordered by the Department of Labor in May in an attempt to force the shutdown. This created panic among centers like the Sierra Nevada Job Corps center, which moved up its graduation a week earlier. 

The announcement that Job Corps would be fully funded through 2026 provided much relief to Reno-area employers who rely these types of training center. For example, places like the Tesla Gigafactory in Sparks work with Job Corps to recruit development and manufacturing employees and some do get full-time employment with the company.