Job Corps is the largest and most comprehensive education and job training program in the United States for young people ages 16 to 24 who are not in school or working. Most students live at and take classes at its approximately 120 residential centers. To explore ways to improve student outcomes and reduce per-student costs, Job Corps pilot tested two nonresidential models where students received education and training at colleges, supported by intensive personal and career counseling (with a ratio of 1 counselor to 20–25 students), instead of at a center.

• The Job Corps Scholars (JCS) pilot program consisted of 26 colleges each delivering its own version of the Job Corps program to eligible young people.
• In the Idaho Job Corps (IJC) pilot program, Idaho paired its Boise Job Corps center with a nearby community college and opened three addition fully nonresidential programs at other colleges.

The two pilot programs together offered 30 diverse examples of college-partnered Job Corps programs to study.

The implementation and outcomes study focused on:

• The types of students who enrolled in these programs.
• The ability of colleges to serve young people eligible for Job Corps, who typically face more barriers than other students.
• The outcomes achieved by students in the pilot programs.

Methods

The research team surveyed program directors, conducted interviews with staff members and students, and analyzed program and earnings records. The experiences of IJC students were compared with those of a reference group (other North Central Job Corps enrollees); while those of the JCS students were compared with those of other non-North Central Job Corps enrollees.

Summary of Findings

• Student Demographics: Programs offering high school equivalency (HSE) classes and portraying themselves as “regular Job Corps” attracted students similar to other Job Corps enrollees, but with slightly more young women. Colleges not offering HSE classes but emphasizing students’ ability to “attend college” enrolled older students (20.1 percent versus 18.8 percent) with a higher percentage already holding a high school diploma or equivalent (86.6 percent versus 40.1 percent).
• Program Completion: Students in the pilot programs were more likely to complete those programs than were other Job Corps students (62.2 percent of IJC students and 59.0 percent of JCS students versus 45.2 percent in Job Corps as of 2019). IJC students received 2.3 more months of training (8.1 vs. 5.8 months), while JCS students received 1.4 more months (7.3 vs. 5.9 months).
• Educational Outcomes: Many students earned college credits. In the IJC program, 60.9 percent of students who began the program in credit-bearing classes earned an associate degree.
• Counseling Support: Personal and career counselors played a crucial role in student success.
• Earnings Outcomes: Six quarters after enrolling, IJC students with a high school credential earned significantly more ($4,073 versus $2,535) than educationally similar North Central Job Corps students. However, those without a high school credential had outcomes similar to their educationally similar reference group. JCS students with a high school credential earned $5,390, compared with $3,332 for non-North Central Job Corps students with a high school credential. Earnings for JCS students without a high school credential also outpaced their educationally similar reference group ($5,135 versus $2,337).

Conclusion

This study suggests that these types of college-focused Job Corps variants may be a promising avenue for Job Corps to explore further. However, it remains unclear how much of the earnings growth is directly attributable to the programs versus other factors. A rigorous impact study is needed to determine the true effectiveness of these models. The IJC pilot test also demonstrated how a state could draw on existing Job Corps centers while serving a more geographically diverse population through college-based programs. Overall, the results suggest that adding college-focused variants to the Job Corps system could be a promising direction for future development.