Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Representative Chris Pappas (NH-01) are urging U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer to reverse the DOL’s decision to close Job Corps Centers nationwide, including the New Hampshire Job Corps Center in Manchester. The Manchester Job Corps Center, which Shaheen helped establish in 2013, serves up to 268 residential and 32 nonresidential students, providing vocational training, pathways to a high school diploma and college certifications and degrees through partnerships with Manchester Community College, Nashua Community College and the New Hampshire Technical Institute.
In part the delegation wrote, “The New Hampshire Job Corps Center is essential to the state’s economy with an estimated economic impact of more than $21 million per year. The center’s closure would have a grave and lasting impact on the state’s economic growth and workforce pipeline.”
The delegation continued, “Given the vital role that Job Corps plays in New Hampshire and throughout the country, we respectfully urge you to reconsider your pause of Job Corps operations and cease efforts to eliminate the program. We have a shared interest in improving outcomes for Job Corps students, prioritizing their safety, and preventing any waste that may exist in the Job Corps program, and we urge you to work with Congress to advance these goals.”
The full text of the letter can be found here.
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