The city of New York and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Job Corps program will be working together more closely to promote the federal job training program and connect its graduates to in-demand careers and college.  

Through a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), New York City will become the first major city to enter into a formal agreement with Job Corps, the nation’s largest residential career training program that provides education and job training to income-eligible 16- to 24-year-olds in every state, D.C. and Puerto Rico at no cost to its students.

“Here in New York City, we have the nation’s largest school system,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “We see this partnership as one that can offer solutions for career-seeking young people from low-income backgrounds and also for employers in need of a pipeline of trained, ready-to-work employees.”  

Through this five year partnership, the city will coordinate with Job Corps’ national office to coordinate recruitment initiatives through New York City Public Schools, the Administration for Children’s Services, the Department of Youth and Community Development, NYC Talent, NYC Human Resources Administration, and other partners to ensure that underserved and marginalized communities gain access to the workforce development training, including those focused on in-demand career pathways such as advanced manufacturing, information technology, clean energy, and construction.  

Those programs will streamline a system of providing student referrals to Job Corps, and the Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development will also formalize a process of providing Job Corps graduates with information on job opportunities within NYC government, enrollment in the city’s higher-education institutions, and support services including SNAP, cash assistance, home energy assistance, Medicaid and Fair Fares.  

“We are so thankful the city of New York has stepped up to partner with us in this official way,” said Job Corps National Director Rachel Torres. “Through our agreement, we are expressing our belief that we need to provide more pathways to support future CNAs, computer technicians, construction workers, culinary artists and other young people ready to train for their careers without financial constraints.  

This partnership is the next step in advancing several Department of Labor priorities, including Job Corps, Youth Employment Works, and creating opportunities for underrepresented young adults to take advantage of the Biden-Harris administration’s infrastructure investments: the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act, and the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act. Job Corps is training the next generation of infrastructure workers to support the needs of the workforce as these historic investments move forward.

“As with physical roads and bridges, there are potholes and cracks in our workforce system,” Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su said.  “And there are entire communities — often poor, of color, immigrant — that aren’t served well. The system, as it stands, doesn’t work for everyone. This is our chance to make sure it does, and the MOU with New York City is a big step in that direction.”

There are two Job Corps centers in New York City, located in South Bronx (1771 Andrews Ave.) and the Bed-Stuy section of Brooklyn (585 Dekalb Ave.). Brooklyn Job Corps is a nonresidential campus where students commute daily for training. In the state of New York, Job Corps also has campuses in Cassadaga, Callicoon, Glenmont, Medina and Oneonta.