[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 145 (Friday, October 7, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 7, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                               JOB CORPS

  Mr. SIMON. Mr. President, I would like to recognize the Job Corps 
Program and take this opportunity to celebrate its 30th anniversary and 
the 1.6 million young people it has served. I met yesterday with 45 
members of the 9 teams, who competed earlier this week in the Fifth 
Annual National Job Corps Academic Olympics. These young people are an 
inspiration to all of us--and proof that Job Corps works.
  Job Corps stands out as one of our country's most successful job 
training programs. It serves approximately 65,000 students each year in 
111 centers throughout the U.S. Job Corps has a successful placement 
rate of 65 percent.
  I am pleased that last year Job Corps announced its expansion to nine 
new centers, serving an additional 3,600 youth who are most at-risk. In 
Illinois, for every student enrolled in Job Corps there are 65 young 
people who are eligible and in need but who go unserved.
  The average Job Corps student is 18 years old, reads at a seventh 
grade level, has a disruptive home life, has never held a full-time 
job, and comes from a family with an income of under $7,000. More than 
80 percent are high school dropouts. These young people are at-risk. 
Too many of our disadvantaged young people are thrust into an unhealthy 
cycle of dead end jobs, unemployment, and dependency on public 
assistance. Even worse, many turn to lives of crime.
  I have often said that the true division in our society is not 
between black and white, or Anglo and Hispanic, or even between rich 
and poor. The true division in our society is between those who have 
hope and those who have given up. We have too many people who have 
given up. Job Corps gives people hope, and an opportunity to succeed.
  According to a study by Mathematical Policy Research, for every $1 
invested in Job Corps, $1.46 is returned to the economy through 
reductions in income maintenance payments, the costs of crime and 
incarceration, and through increased taxes paid by Job Corps graduates. 
In addition to improving their future earnings, Job Corps participants 
are less dependent on welfare and unemployment insurance.
  Job Corps helps young people become productive, economically self-
sufficient members of society. Few employment and training programs 
target high school dropouts with low reading levels, and fewer still 
have had their effectiveness documented in a rigorous an independent 
evaluation as has Job Corps.
  The Department of Labor's inspector general has raised some concerns 
about the Job Corps. No program is perfect and Job Corps is no 
exception. But it is significant that while the inspector general has 
raised concerns, his testimony at a hearing on Tuesday emphasizes the 
importance of the program:

       The OIG has always believed that the Job Corps Program 
     plays a pivotal role in the Nation's plan to enhance the 
     economic earning power of America's youth. In its 30-year 
     history, the program has enjoyed a great deal of success. 
     However, as is always the case for programs of this size and 
     magnitude, there is room for improvement.

  Secretary of Labor Robert Reich described Job Corps as,

       One of the jewels in the crown of our work force investment 
     system. If the Job Corps did not exist, we would have to 
     invent it, and that mission of invention would be among the 
     administration's highest priorities. But fortunately, the Job 
     Corps already exists, and boasts a resounding record of 
     success. So our mission is to preserve it, expand it, and 
     further improve it.

  We also heard the inspiring stories of three Job Corps participants: 
Miguel Garza, Tamika Butler, and Anna Street.

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