Job Corps
Better Targeted Career Training and Improved Preenrollment Information Could Enhance Female Residential Student Recruitment and Retention Gao ID: GAO-09-470 June 2, 2009Established in 1964, Job Corps is the nation's largest residential, educational, and career training program for economically disadvantaged youths. Administered by the Department of Labor (Labor), Job Corps received about $1.6 billion in program year 2007 and served about 60,000 students. Some have expressed concern that Job Corps centers are not meeting planned enrollment goals, particularly for women. To address these concerns, GAO reviewed the (1) extent to which Job Corps centers are operating at or near capacity for residential students; (2) major factors that affect the recruitment and retention of residential students, particularly females; and (3) steps, if any, Labor has taken to address the recruitment and retention of residential students. To address these objectives, GAO analyzed Labor's enrollment data, surveyed Job Corps recruiters and center directors, and visited seven Job Corps centers.
Overall, the Job Corps program has been operating at or near capacity for male residential students, but under capacity for female residential students during program years 2005 through 2007. During each of those years, Job Corps achieved between 95 and 98 percent of the planned enrollment for male residential students nationwide, but about 80 percent or less for female residential students. In fact, about one-half of the centers that enrolled female residential students in program year 2007 were below 80 percent of their planned enrollment for that group. Three key factors affect Job Corps' ability to recruit and retain residential students, particularly female residential students--availability of career training options, complete and accurate preenrollment information, and quality of center life. The selection and availability of career training offerings in occupations of interest to students play a major role in Job Corps' ability to recruit students, particularly female residential students, according to officials that we surveyed. A key factor affecting both recruitment and retention is ensuring that students have accurate preenrollment information about Job Corps. Officials noted that having realistic expectations of life at a center is especially important for female students. Finally, center officials said that the quality of life at the centers, including the living conditions and the sense of safety, affects students' willingness to stay in the program. Labor has begun making improvements in career training offerings, preenrollment information, and quality of center life in an effort to address issues related to the recruitment and retention of residential students. While Labor has gradually made more training opportunities available that are likely to appeal to female students, these are typically at a center's request and not part of an overall strategy. In addition, Labor has taken some steps to ensure that students receive detailed preenrollment information, but has not yet expanded these efforts nationally. Finally, Labor has several efforts under way to improve the quality of center life for students, including ensuring a drug-free environment and providing child care facilities for single parents.
RecommendationsOur recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.
Director: Team: Phone:GAO-09-470, Job Corps: Better Targeted Career Training and Improved Preenrollment Information Could Enhance Female Residential Student Recruitment and Retention
This is the accessible text file for GAO report number GAO-09-470
entitled 'Job Corps: Better Targeted Career Training and Improved
Preenrollment Information Could Enhance Female Residential Student
Recruitment and Retention' which was released on June 22, 2009.
This text file was formatted by the U.S. Government Accountability
Office (GAO) to be accessible to users with visual impairments, as part
of a longer term project to improve GAO products' accessibility. Every
attempt has been made to maintain the structural and data integrity of
the original printed product. Accessibility features, such as text
descriptions of tables, consecutively numbered footnotes placed at the
end of the file, and the text of agency comment letters, are provided
but may not exactly duplicate the presentation or format of the printed
version. The portable document format (PDF) file is an exact electronic
replica of the printed version. We welcome your feedback. Please E-mail
your comments regarding the contents or accessibility features of this
document to Webmaster@gao.gov.
This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright
protection in the United States. It may be reproduced and distributed
in its entirety without further permission from GAO. Because this work
may contain copyrighted images or other material, permission from the
copyright holder may be necessary if you wish to reproduce this
material separately.
Report to Congressional Committees:
United States Government Accountability Office:
GAO:
June 2009:
Job Corps:
Better Targeted Career Training and Improved Preenrollment Information
Could Enhance Female Residential Student Recruitment and Retention:
GAO-09-470:
GAO Highlights:
Highlights of GAO-09-470, a report to congressional committees.
Why GAO Did This Study:
Established in 1964, Job Corps is the nation‘s largest residential,
educational, and career training program for economically disadvantaged
youths. Administer-ed by the Department of Labor (Labor), Job Corps
received about $1.6 billion in program year 2007 and served about
60,000 students. Some have expressed concern that Job Corps centers are
not meeting planned enrollment goals, particularly for women. To
address these concerns, GAO reviewed the (1) extent to which Job Corps
centers are operating at or near capacity for residential students; (2)
major factors that affect the recruitment and retention of residential
students, particularly females; and (3) steps, if any, Labor has taken
to address the recruitment and retention of residential students. To
address these objectives, GAO analyzed Labor‘s enrollment data,
surveyed Job Corps recruiters and center directors, and visited seven
Job Corps centers.
What GAO Found:
Overall, the Job Corps program has been operating at or near capacity
for male residential students, but under capacity for female
residential students during program years 2005 through 2007. During
each of those years, Job Corps achieved between 95 and 98 percent of
the planned enrollment for male residential students nationwide, but
about 80 percent or less for female residential students (see below).
In fact, about one-half of the centers that enrolled female residential
students in program year 2007 were below 80 percent of their planned
enrollment for that group.
Figure: Percentage of Planned Enrollment for Male and Female
Residential Students, Program Years 2005 through 2007:
[Refer to PDF for image: vertical bar graph]
[End of figure]
Three key factors affect Job Corps‘ ability to recruit and retain
residential students, particularly female residential students”
availability of career training options, complete and accurate
preenrollment information, and quality of center life. The selection
and availability of career training offerings in occupations of
interest to students play a major role in Job Corps‘ ability to recruit
students, particularly female residential students, according to
officials that we surveyed. A key factor affecting both recruitment and
retention is ensuring that students have accurate preenrollment
information about Job Corps. Officials noted that having realistic
expectations of life at a center is especially important for female
students. Finally, center officials said that the quality of life at
the centers, including the living conditions and the sense of safety,
affects students‘ willingness to stay in the program.
Labor has begun making improvements in career training offerings,
preenrollment information, and quality of center life in an effort to
address issues related to the recruitment and retention of residential
students. While Labor has gradually made more training opportunities
available that are likely to appeal to female students, these are
typically at a center‘s request and not part of an overall strategy. In
addition, Labor has taken some steps to ensure that students receive
detailed preenrollment information, but has not yet expanded these
efforts nationally. Finally, Labor has several efforts under way to
improve the quality of center life for students, including ensuring a
drug-free environment and providing child care facilities for single
parents.
What GAO Recommends:
GAO recommends that the Secretary of Labor review career training
nationwide, take steps to ensure that potential students are provided
with complete and accurate information, and explore the feasibility of
having virtual tours for each center. Labor generally agreed with the
recommendations and noted efforts it has under way. However, GAO
believes Labor‘s efforts do not fully address the recommendations and
stress the need for additional action.
View [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-470] or key
components. For more information, contact Kay E. Brown at (202) 512-
7215 or brownke@gao.gov.
[End of section]
Contents:
Letter:
Background:
Overall, Job Corps Operated at or Near Capacity for Male Residential
Students, but Not for Female Residential Students:
Three Key Factors Affect Job Corps' Ability to Recruit and Retain
Residential Students:
Labor Has Taken Some Steps to Address Job Corps' Recruitment and
Retention Issues, but These Efforts Are Limited in Scope:
Conclusions:
Recommendations for Executive Action:
Agency Comments and Our Evaluation:
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology:
Appendix II: Listing of Job Corps Career Training Offerings in Program
Year 2007, by Industry Area:
Appendix III: Career Trainings Offered at the Job Corps Centers That We
Visited:
Appendix IV: Percentage of Planned Enrollment in Program Year 2007, by
State and Job Corps Center:
Appendix V: Regional Initiatives Approved by the Department of Labor:
Appendix VI: Comments from the Department of Labor:
Appendix VII: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments:
Related GAO Products:
Tables:
Table 1: Number of Career Training Offerings in Various Industries at
the Job Corps Centers That We Visited:
Table 2: Job Corps Centers Achieving One-Half or Less of Their Planned
Enrollment for Female Residential Students in Program Year 2007:
Table 3: Health Care Training Offered at the Job Corps Centers That We
Visited:
Table 4: Characteristics of the Job Corps Centers That We Visited, by
Region (Program Year 2007):
Table 5: Characteristics of Outreach and Admissions Contractors That We
Visited:
Figures:
Figure 1: Job Corps Center Locations:
Figure 2: Percentage of Job Corps Students in Program Year 2007, by
Race or Ethnic Group:
Figure 3: Percentage of Job Corps Students in Program Year 2007, by
Age:
Figure 4: Percentage of Job Corps Students in Program Year 2007, by
Reading Level at the Time of Enrollment:
Figure 5: Percentage of Job Corps Career Training Slots in Program Year
2006, by Industry Area:
Figure 6: Male and Female Job Corps Residential Students' Average
Actual Enrollment as a Percentage of the Planned Enrollment for Program
Years 2005 through 2007:
Figure 7: Reasons That Students Left Job Corps in Program Year 2007:
Figure 8: Reasons That Students Left Job Corps in Program Year 2007, by
Gender:
Figure 9: Percentage of Survey Respondents Reporting Specific Job Corps
Career Training Offerings as a Very Important Factor for Recruiting
Residential Students:
Figure 10: Percentage of Male and Female Graduates in Major Job Corps
Career Training Programs in Program Year 2007:
Figure 11: Health Care Training Programs at 2 Job Corps Centers That We
Visited:
Figure 12: Percentage of Center Directors Reporting Specific Aspects of
Job Corps Center Life as Very Important for Retaining Residential
Students:
[End of section]
United States Government Accountability Office:
Washington, DC 20548:
June 2, 2009:
The Honorable Edward M. Kennedy:
Chairman:
The Honorable Michael B. Enzi:
Ranking Member:
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:
United States Senate:
The Honorable Patty Murray:
Chair:
The Honorable Johnny Isakson:
Ranking Member:
Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety:
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:
United States Senate:
Established in 1964 as part of the Economic Opportunity Act, Job Corps
is the nation's largest residential, educational, and career technical
training program for disadvantaged youths. Administered by the
Department of Labor (Labor), Job Corps received about $1.6 billion for
program year 2007[Footnote 1] to support a planned enrollment of about
44,000.[Footnote 2] Approximately 86 percent of this enrollment is
reserved for residential students, with the remainder reserved for
nonresidential students who commute to the center on a daily basis. Job
Corps has 122 centers located in 48 states, the District of Columbia,
and Puerto Rico (see figure 1).[Footnote 3] Large and small
corporations and nonprofit organizations manage and operate 94 of the
Job Corps centers. The other 28 centers--called Civilian Conservation
Centers--are operated through interagency agreements with the U.S.
Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior.
Figure 1: Job Corps Center Locations:
[Refer to PDF for image: map of the United States]
The map depicts the location of the following centers:
Job Corps Contract Centers (94); MS-Gulfport (temporarily closed);
Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers (28); NC-Oconaluftee
(temporarily closed);
Future Job Corps Centers (5);
Job Corps centers GAO visited (7).
Sources: GAO analysis of Department of Labor data; Map Resources (map).
[End of figure]
Most youths enrolling in Job Corps have not completed high school and
read at or below the sixth-grade level. Most are working toward a high
school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certificate,
and may also receive career technical training from among a range of
industries, including business and finance, construction, and health
care. Since its inception, Job Corps has educated and trained more than
2 million young people, preparing them to enter the nation's workforce.
Recent congressional hearings raised concerns that Job Corps centers
are not operating at or near capacity--that is, not meeting their
planned enrollment goals. In particular, some have expressed concern
about low female residential student enrollment. As a result, you asked
us to examine the issues associated with the recruitment and retention
of residential students. Specifically, we reviewed the (1) extent to
which Job Corps centers are operating at or near capacity for
residential students; (2) major factors that affect centers' ability to
recruit and retain residential students, particularly female
residential students; and (3) steps, if any, Labor has taken to address
the recruitment and retention of residential students.
To address these objectives, we used a multifaceted approach. To
understand recent trends in the enrollment of male and female
residential students, we analyzed Labor's data identifying planned
enrollment for male and female residential students and the average
actual number of male and female residential students onboard for each
of the 122 centers. Our analysis covered July 1, 2005, through June 30,
2008--the 3 most recently completed program years (program years 2005
to 2007). On the basis of a review of the systems' internal controls,
we determined that the data for program years 2005 to 2007 were
sufficiently reliable for the purposes of our review. To understand the
major factors related to the recruitment and retention of residential
students, we administered two Web-based surveys during August to
October, 2008. One survey was directed to the 32 outreach and
admissions contractors who recruit male and female students, often for
more than 1 center. A second survey was distributed to the 117 Job
Corps center directors who were responsible for enrolling and retaining
residential students during program year 2007.[Footnote 4] We received
a 100 percent response rate on the survey from the outreach and
admissions contractors, and a 97 percent response rate from the center
directors. We also visited 7 Job Corps centers--located in Connecticut,
Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Washington State--and the 4
outreach and admissions contractors responsible for recruiting students
for these centers. We selected these Job Corps centers because they are
geographically diverse, provide a mix of privately and federally
operated centers, and reflect centers that had varying success in
meeting planned male and female residential enrollment goals. In
addition, we visited the Job Corps center in Denison, Iowa, because it
is 1 of 7 centers with a single-parent dormitory, combined with a day-
care center for children of residential students--a feature that Labor
officials believe could enhance female recruitment and retention.
During our site visits, we interviewed center officials and conducted
focus groups with female residential students to learn about the
factors that were important in decisions to choose or stay at a
particular center. To gather information about Job Corps initiatives
and actions to improve the recruitment and retention of residential
students, we interviewed Job Corps officials located in the national
office and the six regional offices.
We conducted this performance audit from May 2008 to June 2009, in
accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those
standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our
findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that
the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and
conclusions based on our audit objectives. (See appendix I for more
details on our objectives, scope, and methodology.)
Background:
Student demographics: To be eligible for Job Corps, interested youths
must be at least age 16 and not yet age 25 at the time of enrollment,
and they must be considered low income and have an additional barrier
to employment.[Footnote 5] These barriers include being a school
dropout, a runaway, a foster child, a parent, or homeless. In program
year 2007, the latest year for which data were available, approximately
60 percent of the students were male and 40 percent were female. The
student population reflected diversity and approximately 75 percent of
the students were nonwhite (see figure 2).[Footnote 6]
Figure 2: Percentage of Job Corps Students in Program Year 2007, by
Race or Ethnic Group:
[Refer to PDF for image: pie-chart]
African-American: 52%;
White: 25%;
Hispanic: 17%;
American Indian: 3%;
Asian/Pacific Islander: 2%.
Source: Department of Labor data.
Note: Total does not add to 100 percent due to rounding.
[End of figure]
More than one-third of the students in program year 2007 were members
of families receiving some form of public assistance. In addition, as
shown in figure 3, the majority of these students (58 percent) were age
18 or younger.
Figure 3: Percentage of Job Corps Students in Program Year 2007, by
Age:
[Refer to PDF for image: pie-chart]
Age 16: 17%;
Age 17: 21%;
Age 18: 20%;
Age 19: 15%;
Age 20: 10%;
Age 21-22: 11%;
Age 23 and over: 5%.
Source: Department of Labor data.
Note: Total does not add to 100 percent due to rounding.
[End of figure]
In addition, more than three-quarters of the students in program year
2007 were high school dropouts, and, as shown in figure 4, about one-
half of the students were reading at or below the sixth-grade level at
the time of enrollment into the program.
Figure 4: Percentage of Job Corps Students in Program Year 2007, by
Reading Level at the Time of Enrollment:
[Refer to PDF for image: pie-chart]
Below 5th grade: 20%;
5th and 6th grade: 31%;
7th and 8th grade: 20%;
9th and 10th grade: 18%;
Above 10th grade: 12%;
Source: Department of Labor data.
Note: Total does not add to 100 percent due to rounding.
[End of figure]
Job Corps facilities: Job Corps centers vary substantially, both in
terms of size and type of facility. While nearly three-fourths of the
centers have a planned enrollment of fewer than 400 students, centers
range in size from 107 students at 1 center in Louisiana to 1,742
students at 1 center in Texas. Some Job Corps centers are converted
seminaries, hospitals, or military bases, while other centers are newly
constructed. Most Job Corps centers provide a variety of services to
students 7 days a week, including housing, meals, medical and dental
care, and recreational activities.[Footnote 7] Among the centers we
visited, the living arrangements ranged from rooms with a single bed to
rooms with as many as eight beds. The centers we visited also provided
on-site a variety of recreational sports activities, such as
basketball, soccer, and volleyball, as well as arts and crafts.
Life in Job Corps: Job Corps believes that providing a safe environment
in which Job Corps students can learn is vital to the success of the
program. Job Corps requires each center to develop standards for
student conduct, including a set of rules and sanctions. For example,
centers have rules that prohibit gambling, using profanity, and
dressing inappropriately. In addition, the program has a zero tolerance
policy for violence and drugs. Students who fail to comply with this
policy are to be dismissed from the program.
The Job Corps experience generally consists of the following four
stages:
1. Outreach and admissions: Typically, students are recruited by
outreach and admissions contractors who use a variety of recruiting
strategies, including distributing information to various entities,
such as schools, social service agencies, and one-stop centers.
[Footnote 8] These contractors are responsible for explaining to
applicants what it is like to live at a center and what is expected of
them once they enroll in the program. In program year 2007, 32 outreach
and admissions contractors recruited potential applicants for the 122
Job Corps centers.[Footnote 9]
2. Career preparation: Career preparation encompasses a student's first
few weeks after enrollment. During this time, students learn about
personal responsibility, social skills, and career exploration.
Students also work on job search skills, and learn to use labor market
information to help them make informed decisions on which career
training option to pursue. In addition, students work with Job Corps
staff to develop a personal career development plan. At this stage,
according to Labor, students begin to feel more comfortable being at
Job Corps and are prepared to begin learning the technical skills they
will need to secure a lasting career.
3. Career development: Students enrolled in the program spend the
majority of their time in the career development stage. At this point,
students learn and demonstrate career technical, academic, and
employability skills. Students who did not graduate from high school
will have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma or GED
certificate. Students will also learn and practice technical skills
from a chosen career training field. For example, 1 center we visited
had a replica of a patient examination room for its medical assistant
students to receive training in such duties as recording patients'
vital signs, collecting blood samples, and using an EKG machine.
Another center we visited simulated a pharmacy where its pharmacy
technician students learned to perform such duties as dealing with
customers, detecting prescription errors, and packaging and
distributing medications.
4. Career transition: During career transition, Job Corps staff work
with graduates for up to 18 months to help them in their transition
from Job Corps to productive employment. This support includes helping
graduates find housing, health care, family services, and
transportation to and from work.
Career training: Job Corps offers career technical training in a number
of industries. Several of the career offerings have been in place since
the 1960s, particularly in the construction trades, which is still the
most prevalent career training. In program year 2006, the latest year
for which data are available, approximately one-third of the career
training slots available nationwide were in the construction industry.
(See figure 5 for more information on career training, by industry.)
Job Corps officials recognize that the U.S. economy is rapidly
changing, and they are placing growing emphasis on technological
proficiency. Accordingly, Job Corps encourages centers to provide
training that meets industry needs, particularly in high-growth, high-
demand occupations. Job Corps has also begun to emphasize long-term
student outcomes, where the goal is not just to prepare students for
entry-level employment, but rather to prepare them for a career that
provides a pathway for upward mobility.
Figure 5: Percentage of Job Corps Career Training Slots in Program Year
2006, by Industry Area:
[Refer to PDF for image: pie-chart]
Information Technology: 5%;
Automotive/Machine repair: 5%;
Advanced manufacturing: 8%;
Hospitality: 8%;
Health care: 16%;
Business and finance: 19%;
Construction: 32%;
Other: 7%.
Source: Department of Labor data.
[End of figure]
The high-growth, high-demand industry areas include many specific
occupations for which Job Corps students can receive training. For
example, among the career training offered by some centers in the
construction industry are bricklaying, carpentry, cement masonry,
electrical, facilities maintenance, painting, plastering, and plumbing.
Within the health care industry, some centers provide career training
in dental assistance, medical assistance, nursing assistance, and
pharmacy technician. (See appendix II for a list of career training
offerings available within the industry areas for program year 2007.)
Most centers offer a range of career training choices, but some centers
have more limited choices. For example, among the centers we visited,
the number of career training offerings ranged from as many as 14 at 1
center to 3 at another center (see table 1).
Table 1: Number of Career Training Offerings in Various Industries at
the Job Corps Centers That We Visited:
Number of career training offerings, by industry area:
Center/State: Cascades, Washington State;
Business and finance: 1;
Construction: 5;
Health care: 4;
Hospitality: 1;
Other[A]: 0;
Total: 11.
Center/State: Centennial, Idaho;
Business and finance: 1;
Construction: 5;
Health care: 1;
Hospitality: 1;
Other[A]: 2;
Total: 10.
Center/State: Denison, Iowa;
Business and finance: 0;
Construction: 4;
Health care: 3;
Hospitality: 1;
Other[A]: 2;
Total: 10.
Center/State: Frenchburg, Kentucky;
Business and finance: 1;
Construction: 5;
Health care: 0;
Hospitality: 1;
Other[A]: 0;
Total: 7.
Center/State: Hartford, Connecticut;
Business and finance: 1;
Construction: 0;
Health care: 1;
Hospitality: 0;
Other[A]: 1;
Total: 3.
Center/State: Westover, Massachusetts;
Business and finance: 1;
Construction: 6;
Health care: 3;
Hospitality: 1;
Other[A]: 3;
Total: 14.
Center/State: Whitney Young, Kentucky;
Business and finance: 0;
Construction: 4;
Health care: 4;
Hospitality: 1;
Other[A]: 1;
Total: 10.
Source: Job Corps center directors.
[A] Includes advanced manufacturing, automotive and machine repair, and
information technology.
[End of table]
Within the industry areas, the specific career choices at the centers
we visited also varied. For example, all 6 of the centers that we
visited with health care classes offered training as a certified
nursing assistant, but only 1 center offered dental assistant training.
In addition, 2 centers offered training as a medical assistant, and 3
offered training as a pharmacy technician. Similarly, the 6 centers
with construction trades offered carpentry and facilities maintenance,
and 4 offered painting and brick masonry. Only 1 center offered
plumbing. The 6 centers with training in the hospitality industry
offered culinary arts. (See appendix III for a complete listing of
career training offerings for each center that we visited.)
Evaluations of Job Corps: Few evaluative studies have been conducted
over the years to determine whether Job Corps is cost-effective, and,
when these studies have been done, the results have been mixed. In
1982, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., performed a return on
investment analysis and concluded that Job Corps returned $1.46 to
society for every $1.00 spent on the program.[Footnote 10] Later,
Mathematica conducted another Job Corps study that was based on an
experimental design where, from late 1994 to early 1996, nearly 81,000
eligible applicants nationwide were randomly assigned either to a
program group, whose members were allowed to enroll in Job Corps, or to
a control group, whose members were not enrolled in Job Corps.
Mathematica followed its sample members for 4 years after their random
assignments. In its report issued in 2001, Mathematica concluded that
Job Corps was cost-effective in that the value of the benefits exceeded
the costs of the program by about $17,000 per participant over his or
her lifetime.[Footnote 11] Among its conclusions, Mathematica reported
that Job Corps:
* substantially increased the education and training services that
youths receive,
* improved these youths' skills and educational attainment,
* generated employment and earnings gains,
* significantly reduced involvement with crime,
* was cost-effective despite its high costs, and:
* was a good investment.
Mathematica issued a follow-up report in 2006 that examined the results
of the 1994-to 1996-study group over a longer period.[Footnote 12] In
this report, Mathematica analyzed earnings and employment rates through
2004. While Mathematica found that some of the program results reported
in 2001 persisted, such as improving educational attainments and
reducing involvement in crime, overall earnings gains did not persist.
Mathematica concluded that the benefits to society of Job Corps were
smaller than the program costs, but acknowledged that the results
reflect the program as it operated in 1994 to 1996 and not necessarily
as it operates today. Currently, Labor does not have plans to conduct
any further long-term evaluation of Job Corps.
Overall, Job Corps Operated at or Near Capacity for Male Residential
Students, but Not for Female Residential Students:
The Job Corps program has been operating at or near capacity for male
residential students, but under capacity for female residential
students during the last 3 program years.[Footnote 13] During those
years, Job Corps overall achieved between 95 and 98 percent of the
planned enrollment for male residential students, but achieved about 80
percent or less of the planned enrollment for female residential
students (see figure 6).
Figure 6: Male and Female Job Corps Residential Students' Average
Actual Enrollment as a Percentage of the Planned Enrollment for Program
Years 2005 through 2007:
[Refer to PDF for image: vertical bar graph]
Program year: 2005;
Male residential students: 95%;
Female residential students: 79%.
Program year: 2006;
Male residential students: 95%;
Female residential students: 78%.
Program year: 2007;
Male residential students: 98%;
Female residential students: 80%.
Source: Department of Labor data.
[End of figure]
In general, operating at or near capacity for female residential
students has been challenging. The majority of outreach and admissions
contractors we surveyed told us that recruiting female residential
students was much more difficult during the most recently completed
program year than recruiting male residential students. For example, 81
percent of these outreach and admissions contractors told us that
recruiting female students into Job Corps was either moderately or very
difficult versus 29 percent for male students. In addition, we found
that while about 62 percent of the Job Corps centers were operating at
or near capacity for male residential students in program year 2007,
only about 17 percent of the centers were operating at or near capacity
for female residential students.[Footnote 14] (See appendix IV for more
information on the planned and actual enrollment for male and female
residential students, by center.) Moreover, about one-half of the 117
centers that enrolled female residential students in program year 2007
were below 80 percent of their planned enrollment for female
residential students. Several centers achieved one-half or less than
one-half of their planned enrollment for female residential students
(see table 2).
Table 2: Job Corps Centers Achieving One-Half or Less of Their Planned
Enrollment for Female Residential Students in Program Year 2007:
Female residential enrollment: Average planned:
Center/State: Frenchburg, Kentucky;
Average planned: 56;
Average actual: 28;
Percentage of the average planned enrollment: 50%.
Center/State: Carville, Louisiana;
Average planned: 100;
Average actual: 48;
Percentage of the average planned enrollment: 48%.
Center/State: Jacobs Creek, Tennessee;
Average planned: 56;
Average actual: 27;
Percentage of the average planned enrollment: 48%.
Center/State: Ramey, Puerto Rico;
Average planned: 136;
Average actual: 65;
Percentage of the average planned enrollment: 48%.
Center/State: Pine Knot, Kentucky;
Average planned: 56;
Average actual: 25;
Percentage of the average planned enrollment: 45%.
Center/State: Great Onyx, Kentucky;
Average planned: 54;
Average actual: 23;
Percentage of the average planned enrollment: 43%.
Center/State: Ouachita, Arkansas;
Average planned: 56;
Average actual: 23;
Percentage of the average planned enrollment: 41%.
Center/State: Flatwoods, Virginia;
Average planned: 56;
Average actual: 11;
Percentage of the average planned enrollment: 20%.
Source: Department of Labor data.
[End of table]
Operating at less than full capacity represents not only a lost
opportunity to provide services to more youths in need of educational
or career training, but also represents an inefficient use of
resources. Because most of Job Corps' operating costs are fixed, such
as costs for heat, electricity, and staff salaries, these costs are
incurred whether a center is full or not. In program year 2007, Job
Corps' operating costs were about $1.5 billion, with a planned
enrollment of about 44,000 slots. Thus, on average, a slot costs about
$34,000. In program year 2007, Job Corps had about 3,700 unfilled
residential slots, about 90 percent of which were planned for female
residential students.
One factor affecting centers' ability to operate at or near capacity is
how long students stay in the program once enrolled. Job Corps is a
self-paced program, and, as a result, the length of stay for students
varies.[Footnote 15] On average, during program year 2007, Job Corps
students remained in the program for about 8 months. Students leave the
program for a variety of reasons. In program year 2007, about one-half
of the students who left Job Corps were dismissed for violating program
policies, such as those related to violence, and drug and alcohol use
(discipline), or exceeding the number of unauthorized absences and
being considered absent without leave, or AWOL. About 36 percent of the
students separated as orderly completions--that is, they completed
program requirements and left the program as scheduled. (See figure 7.)
Figure 7: Reasons That Students Left Job Corps in Program Year 2007:
[Refer to PDF for image: pie-chart]
Orderly completion: 36%;
AWOL: 26%;
Discipline: 26%;
Resigned: 6%;
Medical: 4%;
Other: 2%.
Source: Department of Labor data.
[End of figure]
Nationally, there were some differences between male and female
students in the reasons for leaving Job Corps. In program year 2007, a
somewhat higher percentage of female students left the program as
scheduled having completed program requirements (orderly completion).
Furthermore, a higher percentage of female students were dismissed for
violating the program's policy for unauthorized absences, or AWOL,
while a higher percentage of male students were dismissed from the
program for violating program policies, such as those related to
violence and drug and alcohol use (discipline) in program year 2007.
(See figure 8.)
Figure 8: Reasons That Students Left Job Corps in Program Year 2007, by
Gender:
[Refer to PDF for image: vertical bar graph]
Reason: Orderly completion;
Percentage of male students (residential and nonresidential) who left
program: 34%;
Percentage of female students (residential and nonresidential) who left
program: 40%.
Reason: AWOL;
Percentage of male students (residential and nonresidential) who left
program: 23%;
Percentage of female students (residential and nonresidential) who left
program: 30%.
Reason: Discipline;
Percentage of male students (residential and nonresidential) who left
program: 32%;
Percentage of female students (residential and nonresidential) who left
program: 16%.
Reason: Resigned;
Percentage of male students (residential and nonresidential) who left
program: 5%;
Percentage of female students (residential and nonresidential) who left
program: 6%.
Reason: Medical;
Percentage of male students (residential and nonresidential) who left
program: 3%;
Percentage of female students (residential and nonresidential) who left
program: 6%.
Reason: Other;
Percentage of male students (residential and nonresidential) who left
program: 2%;
Percentage of female students (residential and nonresidential) who left
program: 2%.
Source: Department of Labor data.
[End of figure]
Three Key Factors Affect Job Corps' Ability to Recruit and Retain
Residential Students:
Three major factors affect the recruitment and retention of residential
students, particularly female residential students, according to Job
Corps officials. These key factors include the selection and
availability of career training offerings, the availability of complete
and accurate preenrollment information, and the quality of center life.
Selection and Availability of Career Training Offerings Play a Major
Role in Recruiting Students:
The selection and availability of career training offerings in
occupations of interest to students play a major role in Job Corps'
ability to recruit students, particularly female residential students.
In particular, a large percentage of outreach and admissions
contractors (91 percent) and center directors (79 percent) we surveyed
cited the availability of particular career training offerings as very
important in attracting female residential students to the program.
Somewhat fewer officials rated this factor as very important for male
residential students. (See figure 9.)
Figure 9: Percentage of Survey Respondents Reporting Specific Job Corps
Career Training Offerings as a Very Important Factor for Recruiting
Residential Students:
[Refer to PDF for image: vertical bar graph]
Respondents: Outreach contractors;
Percentage of male residential students: 81%;
Percentage of female residential students: 91%.
Respondents: Center directors;
Percentage of male residential students: 72%;
Percentage of female residential students: 79%.
Source: GAO surveys of Job Corps outreach and admissions contractors
and center directors.
[End of figure]
Providing training in careers that are attractive to women may enable
Job Corps to recruit more female students. Many Job Corps officials we
interviewed emphasized the importance of centers offering training in a
range of careers that are attractive to female students, including
training in the health care, business and finance, and hospitality
industries. In program year 2007, about 80 percent of the graduates in
health care training programs were women. (See figure 10.)
Figure 10: Percentage of Male and Female Graduates in Major Job Corps
Career Training Programs in Program Year 2007:
[Refer to PDF for image: vertical bar graph]
Career training program: Health care;
Percentage of male graduates: 20%;
Percentage of female graduates: 80%.
Career training program: Business and finance;
Percentage of male graduates: 35%;
Percentage of female graduates: 65%.
Career training program: Hospitality;
Percentage of male graduates: 52%;
Percentage of female graduates: 48%.
Career training program: Manufacturing;
Percentage of male graduates: 87%;
Percentage of female graduates: 14%.
Career training program: Construction;
Percentage of male graduates: 87%;
Percentage of female graduates: 13%.
Career training program: Automotive;
Percentage of male graduates: 90%;
Percentage of female graduates: 11%.
Source: Department of Labor data.
[End of figure]
Many female students told us in focus groups that they were attracted
to Job Corps because of the training offered in specific health care
occupations, such as certified nursing assistant and pharmacy
technician. Figure 11 contains photographs of health care training
programs at 2 Job Corps centers that we visited where students practice
in classrooms that resemble real-life settings.
Figure 11: Health Care Training Programs at 2 Job Corps Centers That We
Visited:
[Refer to PDF for image: four photographs]
Pharmacy Technician - Student Lab; Westover Job Corps Center (two
photographs);
Medical Assisting - Patient Exam Room; Cascades Job Corps Center (two
photographs).
Source: GAO.
[End of figure]
The centers we visited that offered a variety of health care training
options had relatively higher female enrollment. For example, the 4
centers we visited that were operating above 80 percent of their
planned enrollment for female residential students offered a variety of
health care training programs. However, the centers we visited that
were below 60 percent of their planned enrollment for female students
offered few, if any, health care training options. (See table 3.)
Table 3: Health Care Training Offered at the Job Corps Centers That We
Visited:
Health care career training offerings: Certified nursing assistant;
Centers above 80 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Cascades: X;
Centers above 80 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Denison: X;
Centers above 80 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Westover: X;
Centers above 80 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Whitney Young: X;
Centers below 60 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Centennial: X;
Centers below 60 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Frenchburg: [A];
Centers below 60 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Hartford: X.
Health care career training offerings: Dental assistant;
Centers above 80 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Cascades: [Check];
Centers above 80 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Denison: [Empty];
Centers above 80 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Westover: [Empty];
Centers above 80 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Whitney Young: [Empty];
Centers below 60 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Centennial: [Empty];
Centers below 60 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Frenchburg: [Empty];
Centers below 60 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Hartford: [Empty].
Health care career training offerings: Medical assistant;
Centers above 80 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Cascades: [Check];
Centers above 80 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Denison: [Empty];
Centers above 80 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Westover: [Empty];
Centers above 80 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Whitney Young: [Check];
Centers below 60 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Centennial: [Empty];
Centers below 60 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Frenchburg: [Empty];
Centers below 60 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Hartford: [Empty].
Health care career training offerings: Medical office support;
Centers above 80 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Cascades: [Check];
Centers above 80 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Denison: [Check];
Centers above 80 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Westover: [Check];
Centers above 80 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Whitney Young: [Check];
Centers below 60 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Centennial: [Empty];
Centers below 60 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Frenchburg: [Empty];
Centers below 60 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Hartford: [Empty].
Health care career training offerings: Pharmacy technician;
Centers above 80 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Cascades: [Empty];
Centers above 80 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Denison: [Check];
Centers above 80 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Westover: [Check];
Centers above 80 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Whitney Young: [Check];
Centers below 60 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Centennial: [Empty];
Centers below 60 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Frenchburg: [Empty];
Centers below 60 percent of their planned female residential student
enrollment: Hartford: [Empty].
Sources: Department of Labor data and Job Corps center directors.
[A] Certified nursing assistant training is not offered at the Job
Corps center, but is provided through a partnership with a local
community college.
[End of table]
Availability of Complete and Accurate Preenrollment Information for
Prospective Students Is a Key Factor in Both Recruitment and Retention:
Another major factor affecting Job Corps' ability to both recruit and
retain residential students is the availability of accurate and
complete preenrollment information for prospective students. Having
accurate information prior to enrolling in Job Corps helps students
choose the center that they think best meets their needs and helps
establish realistic expectations for what it will be like to live and
train at the center, according to officials that we interviewed. While
accurate and complete preenrollment information is important for all
students, regardless of gender, these officials reported that it is
especially important to highlight certain aspects of the program, such
as the living arrangements, for female students prior to enrollment.
Most of the outreach and admissions contractors that we surveyed
reported that certain aspects of the living arrangements, such as the
condition of the living facilities (about 91 percent) and the number of
students per dormitory room (about 74 percent), were very important in
recruiting female residential students. A much lower percentage of
outreach and admissions contractors reported that living arrangements
were very important in recruiting male residential students.
Having realistic expectations helps students adjust to Job Corps.
According to officials that we interviewed, such expectations are key
to students' decision to remain in the program. Several officials we
interviewed said that students who lack a complete understanding of
what it will be like to live and train at a center prior to enrollment
will be more likely to leave the program early. According to these
officials, complete and accurate preenrollment information on all
aspects of the program helps to preclude students from forming false
expectations as well as prevents any major surprises when they arrive
at a center. Furthermore, we found that the nature of the preenrollment
information that students received varied. For example, one official we
interviewed told us that he provided potential students with a handout
containing detailed information on Job Corps training programs,
including employment-related age restrictions for certain careers.
Alternatively, another official provided prospective students with more
general information on the program and available career training
opportunities. In our focus groups, we found that several students did
not receive complete and accurate information prior to enrolling in the
program. For example, some female focus group participants at 1 center
said that they were not told they would be sharing a dormitory room
with seven other students. In another focus group, participants
commented that they were not provided with complete information about
specific center rules, such as cell phone use and acceptable attire.
While they had decided to stay in Job Corps, these students
acknowledged that the transition was difficult because they lacked
realistic expectations.
Preenrollment tours, virtual tours, and center videos can be important
tools in establishing realistic expectations of Job Corps life. About
80 percent of the outreach and admissions contractors we surveyed
reported that a preenrollment tour and a center video or virtual online
tour are at least moderately important in helping female students make
a realistic decision about enrolling at a particular center. Some
officials we interviewed also said that preenrollment tours are very
important because they provide students with an opportunity to see and
experience what it is like to live and train at a particular center.
Because of key center differences, such as size and appearance, several
officials emphasized the importance of showing students the center
where they plan to enroll to prevent false expectations. In fact, one
center director did an analysis of all students who, from April 2008
through April 2009, left the center within 60 days of enrollment due to
either resignation or AWOL separation, and found that about 70 percent
of them had not taken a tour of the center. Some officials with whom we
spoke acknowledged that center videos and virtual tours are useful
recruitment strategies to provide students who are unable to
participate in a preenrollment tour with an opportunity to see and
experience center life.
The Quality of Center Life Is Important in Student Retention:
Once students enroll at a center, the quality of center life--such as a
safe environment, consistent enforcement of center rules, and the
availability of recreational and extracurricular activities--have a
major effect on the retention of students, especially female
residential students. In particular, center directors that we surveyed
ranked several factors related to center life as especially important
in retaining female residential students. For example, over 80 percent
of the center directors we surveyed reported that safety, consistent
enforcement of the center's rules, and the condition of the living
facilities are very important for retaining female residential
students. (See figure 12.)
Figure 12: Percentage of Center Directors Reporting Specific Aspects of
Job Corps Center Life as Very Important for Retaining Residential
Students:
[Refer to PDF for image: vertical bar graph]
Center life factor: Safety;
Percentage of responses from male residential students: 77%;
Percentage of responses from female residential students: 87%.
Center life factor: Consistent rule enforcement;
Percentage of responses from male residential students: 77%;
Percentage of responses from female residential students: 85%.
Center life factor: Condition of living facilities;
Percentage of responses from male residential students: 64%;
Percentage of responses from female residential students: 81%.
Center life factor: Number of students per room;
Percentage of responses from male residential students: 56%;
Percentage of responses from female residential students: 70%.
Center life factor: Recreation activities;
Percentage of responses from male residential students: 54%;
Percentage of responses from female residential students: 51%.
Source: GAO survey of Job Corps center directors.
[End of figure]
Maintaining a safe center environment and consistently enforcing center
rules are both important factors in retaining residential students.
Over 85 percent of center directors that we surveyed reported that
safety was a major factor in the retention of female students in
particular. In addition, our focus group participants commented on the
importance of feeling safe while at the center. At 1 Job Corps center
we visited, focus group participants said that center staff at all
levels--including the center director, instructors, security staff, and
facility maintenance personnel--work very hard to ensure a safe center
environment by addressing student incidents in a timely manner. In our
survey, 85 percent of center directors also reported that the
consistent enforcement of center rules was very important in retaining
female residential students. During our site visits, several officials
said that the enforcement of center rules helped to create a center
environment where female students felt safe on campus.
Recreational and extracurricular activities are important for male and
female residential students, but it is particularly important for
centers to have specific activities for female students, according to
many officials that we interviewed. To help retain female students in
the program, most Job Corps centers we visited developed recreational
and extracurricular activities. For example, officials at 1 center we
visited said that they offer specific activities that may interest
female students, such as volleyball, exercise classes, and talent
shows. Female focus group participants at this center told us they
appreciated the various types of available activities. Additionally,
officials at another center said that they set aside specific days for
female students to use the weight room to ensure that male students did
not dominate the equipment.
Labor Has Taken Some Steps to Address Job Corps' Recruitment and
Retention Issues, but These Efforts Are Limited in Scope:
Labor has made some improvements to career training offerings,
preenrollment information, and quality of center life in an effort to
address issues related to the recruitment and retention of residential
students. However, Labor has not reviewed nationally the training
options that centers provide for female students or ensured that
students receive detailed preenrollment information.
Labor Has Made Improvements to Career Training Options That Are
Attractive to Females, but Has Not Implemented a Nationwide Review:
Labor has gradually made more training opportunities available to Job
Corps students that are likely to appeal to female students and lead to
self-sufficiency. Job Corps began as a predominantly male program in
the 1960s, and many of its training providers in the construction area
have been involved with the program since the 1960s or 1970s. Over
time, the program has increasingly provided training options that are
often attractive to female students and result in jobs that are in
demand. Many of the additions or expansions of course offerings are
generated by individual centers. Centers submit a request to Labor that
documents the demand and wages of the occupation and includes, among
other things, statements from local employers and information on the
local labor market, such as entry-level wages and job availability over
the next 5 to 10 years. During program year 2007, Labor approved
requests from 26 centers to add or expand their career training
offerings, most commonly in the health care area.
Some of the expansion of career training options has come through one
of Job Corps' regional initiatives that were begun as a result of new
requirements by Labor. Under Labor's "New Vision for Job Corps"--an
effort that seeks to modernize the program, including its academics and
career training options--Labor required each Job Corps regional office
to submit a proposal for a regional initiative. These initiatives, or
labs, form part of a broad strategy to align training content with
industry standards and certifications. (See appendix V for a listing of
the regional initiatives approved by Labor.) One of Labor's six Job
Corps regions is implementing an initiative focused on developing
training paths through additional training and forging employer
partnerships, particularly in the automotive and health care
industries. This initiative allows students to pursue an incremental
course of study that links different centers in certain training areas.
For example, a student may enroll in a medical assistant program, and
could obtain additional training and certifications in such areas as
pharmacy technician or phlebotomist, even if the additional training
was offered at a different center. The region is also partnering with
an ambulance company to start offering basic emergency medical
technician and advanced paramedic training at a few centers. This
company plans to hire students who complete the training. As a result,
regional officials told us that they expect the initiative to increase
both male and female student enrollment and to have a positive impact
on graduates' long-term earnings.
While these initiatives show promise in expanding career training
options that will both attract more female students and have better
linkages to local employers, they are limited in scope. Labor officials
noted that centers and regional Labor offices try to offer a mix of
training, including options appealing to women. However, Labor has not
been strategic in how it addresses issues related to female recruitment
and retention, nor has it examined how the mix of career training
offerings nationwide might be a factor. Typically, Labor waits until a
center requests to add or expand a career training option before it
responds. Labor has not conducted a center-by-center review of career
training options at a national level to determine whether centers
struggling with female recruitment and retention should modify their
career training options to make them more attractive to women. Such a
review could identify training gaps and could help centers in their
efforts to operate at or near capacity, especially for female students.
Labor Is Beginning to Require More Consistent Preenrollment
Information, but More Emphasis Is Needed:
Labor has begun to take some steps to ensure that potential students
receive consistent information about Job Corps prior to enrollment.
Labor's national office has assumed responsibility for the mass
marketing of Job Corps in an effort to efficiently and economically
provide a consistent general message about the program. Labor's
marketing contractor has produced print materials along with television
and radio advertisements that include a national toll-free telephone
number so that interested youths may obtain more information and
contact a local outreach and admissions contractor. Some of these
national marketing materials specifically target potential female
residential students. However, these materials do not describe
particular centers in detail.
One of the Job Corps regions has begun to implement an initiative that,
among other things, requires outreach and admissions contractors to
discuss detailed information with students prior to enrollment. This
detailed information covers rules about acceptable student conduct,
including policies on smoking and appropriate dress, and about career
training opportunities, including industry certifications or advanced
training. In addition, outreach and admissions contractors are required
to show potential students a video about these rules and to have
students sign an agreement to adhere to them. Officials said they
believe that this process helps students understand and commit to the
rules. Outreach and admissions contractors in this region said that the
initiative has made it easier for them to discuss the realities and
benefits of Job Corps with potential students and employers. This
initiative may help ensure consistent communication of the rules and
benefits of Job Corps overall, but it does not provide specific
information about life at a particular center, such as the number of
students sharing a dormitory room or the available recreational
activities.
Job Corps officials generally agree that an effective way for students
to have realistic expectations about life at a Job Corps center is for
them to visit the center prior to enrolling. This is not always
possible, however, and virtual tours or videos of centers of interest
can be a valuable means of providing potential students with detailed
preenrollment information. Many officials--including center directors,
outreach and admissions contractors, and Labor officials--told us they
believe having a virtual or video tour of centers would help interested
students obtain a more realistic expectation of center life when they
are unable to visit the center. Labor's marketing contractor conducted
several focus groups in program year 2008 and found that center-
specific virtual or video tours may help reduce students' false
expectations. In addition, Labor's Advisory Committee on Job Corps
confirmed the importance of virtual or video tours, noting that such
tours may help increase student retention.[Footnote 16] In 2009, Labor
launched a revamped national Job Corps Web site, allowing individual
centers to have links posted to their approved center Web sites. As of
March 2009, 72 Job Corps centers had their Web sites approved by Labor,
but none of these sites had a virtual tour. While Labor officials
acknowledged the value of providing such center-specific information,
Labor estimates that the costs of creating a virtual or video tour for
every center would total approximately $1 million. Currently, Labor is
exploring less costly alternatives.
Labor Has Taken Some Steps to Address Issues Related to the Quality of
Center Life:
Labor has several efforts under way to improve the quality of Job Corps
center life for students. Among these are efforts designed to promote a
safe environment. For example, to assess student safety, Labor requires
centers to administer a quarterly survey to students to gauge how safe
they feel. According to Labor, the department uses the survey results
as a way to monitor student safety; recommend corrective action, as
needed; and evaluate center operators. In addition, Labor has an
initiative with one outreach and admissions contractor to help enforce
the program's policy of zero tolerance of drugs by testing students
prior to enrollment and delaying enrollment if they test positive.
Labor officials noted that this preenrollment test may initially deter
some students from entering the program, but it may also increase
student retention by (1) reducing terminations from drug use or
violence and (2) improving the safety and learning environment for male
and female residential students.
Single parents who participate in Job Corps have unique quality of life
needs. Approximately 1 in 10 of the female students in Job Corps in
program year 2007 were single parents, and officials noted that these
students face an additional barrier to participating in the program due
to their need for child care. Labor helps Job Corps centers address
this need by allowing centers to establish child care facilities and
single-parent dormitories. Also, Labor provides funds for the
construction of approved facilities and for their ongoing maintenance
and utilities. Twenty-eight centers currently provide on-site child
care, most often for children of nonresidential students. Seven centers
also have single-parent dormitories for parents and children. One
center that we visited has a single-parent dormitory for 32 students,
in which a parent in the program typically has a private room and
bathroom for herself and her child, along with a kitchen shared with
another parent. This center also has a child development center for
children age 6 weeks to age 5, with staff to look after children while
parents are in academic or training classes during weekdays. While
Labor provides some funds for these programs, the department does not
provide funds to support the ongoing costs, such as staff salaries or
food for the children. Funds for these costs come from different
sources, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Head Start,
and child care assistance funds. Labor officials noted that providing
single-parent dormitories and child care centers is expensive, but is
important to the recruitment and retention of female residential
students.
Conclusions:
Job Corps fills a unique role in preparing economically disadvantaged
young men and women to enter the workforce. The services that the
program provides to these youths are among the most comprehensive in
the federal government--combining academic, vocational, and social
skills training in a residential setting where staff are available 24
hours a day. Because of these services, Job Corps is the most expensive
federal job training program, with the cost of each training slot
averaging about $34,000. Because much of the program's costs are fixed,
program efficiency is compromised when Job Corps centers operate under
capacity. Operating under capacity represents a missed opportunity to
train students who might benefit from the program. Our findings suggest
that, while the program nearly achieves its planned enrollment for
males, it is struggling in this area with regards to female enrollment.
We found clear consensus among Job Corps officials, outreach and
admissions contractors, and students that having career training
options attractive to women is key to being able to recruit female
students into the program. However, while centers have been adding such
training, particularly in the health care area, this approach has not
been universal and some centers continue to have difficulty in
attracting female students. Labor has not taken a strategic approach to
address this problem nationwide. The department may continue to
struggle with female enrollment if it does not do a thorough review of
career training offerings to determine where adjustments could be made
that may enhance the ability of the program to attract women.
Job Corps centers vary widely in terms of facilities; living
conditions; and, to some extent, the rules that guide daily life at the
center. Officials at all levels affirmed the need for students to have,
prior to enrolling in the program, a clear understanding of what it
would be like to live and train at a center. These officials told us
that students who do not have that opportunity have a more difficult
transition and are more likely to leave short of completing the
program. Yet, we found that students are not always given the sort of
preenrollment information they need to make a good decision. Also,
although Labor has taken some steps to encourage outreach and
admissions contractors to provide more complete preenrollment
information, more could be done to ensure that all students receive
consistent and complete information before enrolling. Absent additional
steps, Job Corps will likely continue to face difficulty in recruiting
and retaining students, particularly female students.
Recommendations for Executive Action:
To improve the recruitment and retention of residential students, we
recommend that the Secretary of Labor take the following three actions:
* review the availability and selection of career training offerings at
centers--particularly those centers that are experiencing difficulty
with female enrollment--and assess whether centers need to adjust their
career training options to offer more career training that is both
attractive to women and that could lead to careers that will enable
women to become self-sufficient;
* expand current efforts to ensure that outreach and admissions
contractors across all six regions consistently provide potential
students with complete and accurate information on all aspects of Job
Corps, including providing specific information about the center in
which the student will be enrolled; and:
* explore the feasibility or cost-effectiveness of developing video or
online virtual tours for all centers.
Agency Comments and Our Evaluation:
We provided a draft of this report to the Department of Labor for
review and comment. Labor did not comment on our findings and generally
agreed with our recommendations. Appendix VI contains a reprint of
Labor's comments. In addition, we provided drafts to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior for
technical comments, but the departments did not provide any comments.
In its response, Labor concurred in part with our recommendation that
it review the availability and selection of career training offerings.
Labor acknowledged the need to offer "female friendly" career training
programs to increase female enrollment. However, Labor noted that in
selecting new offerings, it routinely looks beyond those considered
traditional occupations for females as they seek to maximize
opportunities that may result in long-term self-sufficiency. We concur
with the need to focus training in areas that lead to self-sufficiency
and acknowledge the need to offer training in nontraditional
occupations for women. However, it is possible to offer training, such
as in the health care industry, that is attractive to women and that
leads to self-sufficiency. We continue to believe that a more
systematic assessment of career training offered at the centers is
needed, particularly at those centers that are struggling with female
enrollment. Such an assessment would identify whether centers need to
adjust their career training options to enhance female enrollment.
Labor concurred with our recommendation to expand current efforts to
ensure that outreach and admissions contractors consistently provide
potential students with complete and accurate information on all
aspects of Job Corps. Labor acknowledged the importance of providing
complete and accurate information and identified several ongoing
initiatives, including a new national recruitment Web site that
contains links to individual centers. We noted these efforts in our
report; however, as of March 2009, 50 of the 122 centers were not
linked to this Web site. We encourage Labor to continue to expand its
efforts to require that each potential applicant is provided with
complete and accurate preenrollment information.
While Labor concurred with our recommendation to explore the
feasibility or cost-effectiveness of developing video or online virtual
tours for all centers, officials did not provide information about the
steps they are planning to take to address the recommendation. Labor
acknowledged the importance of prospective students being able to tour
centers prior to enrolling, but noted that this is not always possible.
As we have previously reported, virtual tours provide an alternative to
students who are unable to physically tour the center in which they
plan to enroll. Labor officials estimated that it would cost
approximately $1 million to produce a virtual tour of all centers. In
its comments, Labor noted that it is currently exploring less costly
options, including a short DVD that will combine an overview of the Job
Corps program, while using still photography to highlight information
about individual centers. We are concerned that such an approach will
not be sufficient to provide a realistic preview of life at a specific
center for prospective students who are unable to visit the center. We
acknowledge that to produce a virtual tour for each center is not
without cost, but stress the importance of assessing the feasibility
and benefits, as well as the costs, of such an endeavor before moving
forward.
As agreed with your offices, unless you publicly announce the contents
of this report earlier, we plan no further distribution until 30 days
from the report date. At that time, we will send copies of this report
to the relevant congressional committees, the Secretary of Labor, the
Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Interior, and other
interested parties. The report will also be available at no charge on
GAO's Web site at [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov].
If you or your staffs have any questions about this report, please
contact me at (202) 512-7215 or brownke@gao.gov. Contact points for our
Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on
the last page of this report. Key contributors to this report are
listed in appendix VII.
Signed by:
Kay E. Brown:
Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security Issues:
[End of section]
Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology:
To better understand the recruitment and retention of residential
students, we were asked to provide information on the (1) extent to
which Job Corps centers are operating at or near capacity for
residential students; (2) major factors that affect centers' ability to
recruit and retain residential students, particularly female
residential students; and (3) steps, if any, the Department of Labor
(Labor) has taken to address the recruitment and retention of
residential students. Because nearly 90 percent of Job Corps' planned
enrollment is residential, our review focused on those Job Corps
centers that provide educational and career technical training to male
and female residential students.
To answer our objectives, we administered two Web-based surveys--one to
Job Corps' outreach and admissions contractors and one to Job Corps'
center directors. We also visited 7 Job Corps centers in six states and
4 outreach and admissions contractors responsible for recruiting
residential students for these centers. In addition, we analyzed Labor
data identifying planned residential capacity for male and female
students and the average actual number of male and female residential
students onboard for each of the 122 centers. Furthermore, we
interviewed Job Corps officials at the national and regional levels to
identify Labor's current efforts under way to improve the recruitment
and retention of residential students.
Web-Based Surveys:
To obtain information on the major factors that affect the recruitment
and retention of residential students, we administered two Web-based
surveys. One survey was sent to the 32 outreach and admissions
contractors that had a contract with Labor to recruit male and female
residential students for Job Corps during program year 2007.[Footnote
17] Typically these contractors are responsible for recruiting
residential students for centers located in the same state, but several
have multiple-state responsibility. We received a 100 percent response
rate on this survey, with responses from all 32 outreach and admissions
contractors. The second survey was distributed to the 117 Job Corps
center directors who were responsible for enrolling and retaining
residential students during program year 2007.[Footnote 18] Of the 117
Job Corps centers contacted, 114 responded to our survey, for a
response rate of 97 percent. To field the surveys, we obtained a list
and contact information for the 117 Job Corps center directors and 32
outreach and admissions contractors from Job Corps' national and
regional offices. In some cases, we contacted the Job Corps centers
directly to determine the appropriate contact information. We collected
the survey data from August 2008 to October 2008.
Both surveys contained a section on the recruitment of male and female
residential students. We obtained the perspectives of Job Corps center
directors and outreach and admissions contractors on the major factors
that affect the recruitment of residential students; challenges
encountered in recruiting residential students, particularly female
students; and successful approaches or center features that may attract
residential students to Job Corps. In addition, on the Job Corps center
directors' survey, we included a section with questions related to the
retention of male and female residential students. We did not include
these questions on the outreach and admissions contractors' survey,
because these officials are not responsible for acclimating and
retaining residential students once they are at a particular center.
Similar to the section on recruitment, we asked Job Corps center
directors about the major factors that affect the retention of
residential students; challenges encountered in retaining students,
particularly female students; and successful approaches or center
features that may retain residential students.
Because this was not a sample survey, it has no sampling errors.
However, the practical difficulties of conducting any survey may
introduce errors, commonly referred to as nonsampling errors. For
example, difficulties in interpreting a particular question, sources of
information available to respondents, or data entry and analysis can
introduce unwanted variability into the survey results. We took steps
in developing the questionnaires, collecting data, and analyzing these
data to minimize such nonsampling errors. For example, prior to
administering the surveys, GAO survey specialists designed each
questionnaire in collaboration with GAO subject matter experts. We also
pretested the outreach and admissions survey with 2 outreach and
admissions contractors and the center directors' survey with 2 Job
Corps directors. On the basis of the findings from pretests, we
modified our questionnaire to ensure that the questions were relevant,
clearly stated, and easy to comprehend. To ensure adequate response
rates, we sent e-mail reminders and conducted follow-up telephone calls
with nonrespondents. When the data were analyzed, a second independent
data analyst checked all computer programs for accuracy. Since these
were Web-based surveys, respondents entered their answers directly into
the electronic questionnaires, eliminating the need to key data into a
database, thereby minimizing errors.
Site Visits to Job Corps Centers and Outreach and Admissions
Contractors:
To further enhance our understanding of the recruitment and retention
of residential students, we visited 7 Job Corps centers in six states-
-Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Washington
State. We selected these centers because of their geographic variation
and to provide a mix of privately and federally operated centers that
have varying levels of success in maintaining male and female
residential capacity. In addition, we selected the Denison Job Corps
Center because it is 1 of 7 centers that has a single-parent dormitory
and a day-care center for children of residential students. These
living arrangements and supports allow single parents to live at the
center with their children while they complete their education and
career training. (See table 4 for key characteristics of the Job Corps
centers that we visited.) Because a complete and current listing of
career training offerings by Job Corps center was not available, we
followed up with each Job Corps center director that we visited to
ensure we had an accurate list of career training being offered at his
or her center.
Table 4: Characteristics of the Job Corps Centers That We Visited, by
Region (Program Year 2007):
Labor region: Boston (Region 1);
Job Corps center: Hartford;
Location: Hartford, CT;
Center operator: Education Management Corp.;
Percentage of center planned enrollment: Male residents: 67.6%;
Percentage of center planned enrollment: Female residents: 58.8%.
Labor region: Boston (Region 1);
Job Corps center: Westover; Location: Chicopee, MA;
Center operator: Management and Training Corporation;
Percentage of center planned enrollment: Male residents: 98.8;
Percentage of center planned enrollment: Female residents: 87.5.
Labor region: Philadelphia (Region 2);
Job Corps center: Frenchburg;
Location: Frenchburg, KY;
Center operator: Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture;
Percentage of center planned enrollment: Male residents: 72.3;
Percentage of center planned enrollment: Female residents: 50.0.
Labor region: Philadelphia (Region 2);
Job Corps center: Whitney Young; Location: Simpsonville, KY;
Center operator: Horizons Youth Services;
Percentage of center planned enrollment: Male residents: 92.2;
Percentage of center planned enrollment: Female residents: 84.4.
Labor region: Chicago (Region 5);
Job Corps center: Denison;
Location: Denison, IA;
Center operator: Management and Training Corporation;
Percentage of center planned enrollment: Male residents: 116.2;
Percentage of center planned enrollment: Female residents: 84.5.
Labor region: San Francisco (Region 6);
Job Corps center: Cascades;
Location: Sedro Woolley, WA;
Center operator: Management and Training Corporation;
Percentage of center planned enrollment: Male residents: 84.9;
Percentage of center planned enrollment: Female residents: 130.3.
Labor region: San Francisco (Region 6);
Job Corps center: Centennial;
Location: Location: Nampa, ID;
Center operator: Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior;
Percentage of center planned enrollment: Male residents: 154.5;
Percentage of center planned enrollment: Female residents: 53.8.
Source: Department of Labor data.
[End of table]
During our site visits, we toured each center's facilities and
interviewed the center director using a structured interview protocol
to obtain his or her views on residential student recruitment and
retention. To the extent that center directors' survey responses were
available, we used this information to supplement our discussion and to
gain further insight into the major factors and challenges associated
with attracting and retaining residential students, particularly female
students. We also conducted two focus groups with female residential
students at 6 of the 7 Job Corps centers we visited.[Footnote 19] Each
of our focus groups comprised 6 to 10 female residents who had been at
the center for at least 60 days. In total, over 100 female residential
students participated in our focus groups. For each focus group, we
used a series of semistructured questions to learn about the students'
experiences when they were recruited for Job Corps and to obtain their
views on the enrollment process and information provided by outreach
and admissions contractors. We also asked the students to identify the
major factors that were important in their decisions to enroll and stay
at the center.
Furthermore, we conducted site visits with the 4 outreach and
admissions contractors that are responsible for recruiting residential
students to the 7 Job Corps centers we visited. (See table 5 for a list
of these outreach and admissions contractors and areas of
responsibility.) We interviewed these officials using a semistructured
interview protocol to obtain information on their recruitment and
outreach efforts and how they balance providing students with their
desired center and career training program. We also asked these
officials about the major factors and challenges that affect
residential student recruitment. To the extent possible, we used
officials' survey responses to supplement our discussion.
Table 5: Characteristics of Outreach and Admissions Contractors That We
Visited:
Outreach and admissions contractor: Del-Jen, Inc.;
Location: Shrewsbury, MA;
Recruitment responsibility for Job Corps centers visited: Hartford
(Hartford, CT); Westover (Chicopee, MA);
Complete area of recruitment responsibility: CT, MA, ME, NH, VT, RI.
Outreach and admissions contractor: Insights Training Group;
Location: Louisville, KY;
Recruitment responsibility for Job Corps centers visited: Frenchburg
(Frenchburg, KY); Whitney Young (Simpsonville, KY);
Complete area of recruitment responsibility: KY.
Outreach and admissions contractor: Odle Management Group;
Location: Des Moines, IA;
Recruitment responsibility for Job Corps centers visited: Denison
(Denison, IA);
Complete area of recruitment responsibility: IA.
Outreach and admissions contractor: DESI Northwest;
Location: Seattle, WA;
Recruitment responsibility for Job Corps centers visited: Cascades
(Sedro Woolley, WA); Centennial (Nampa, ID);
Complete area of recruitment responsibility: WA, OR, ID.
Source: Department of Labor data.
[End of table]
Analysis of Labor's Enrollment Data for Residential Students:
We reviewed available Job Corps' student demographic and administrative
data for program years 2006 and 2007 to provide descriptive information
on the characteristics of students served, student enrollment and
retention, and career training slots and industry areas. Before
deciding to use the data, we reviewed prior GAO assessments performed
under a previous engagement to determine their reliability. These
assessments were based on observing a demonstration of the Job Corps
database, interviewing Labor officials to identify data checks in place
to ensure the integrity of the data, and reviewing relevant internal
control policies and procedures. On the basis of our review of these
assessments, we determined that the data for program years 2006 and
2007 were sufficiently reliable for the purposes of our review. To
determine the extent to which Job Corps centers operate at or near
capacity, we analyzed Job Corps' onboard strength reports that
identified the planned enrollment for male and female residential
students and the average actual number of male and female residential
students onboard for each of the 122 centers. Our analysis covered July
1, 2005, through June 30, 2008--the 3 most recently completed program
years (program years 2005 to 2007). We also reviewed student leave and
separation data to describe the reasons why male and female residential
students left the program. To determine the reliability of the data, we
interviewed knowledgeable Labor officials and reviewed prior GAO
assessments performed under a previous engagement as we have previously
described. These assessments were based on observing a demonstration of
the Job Corps database, interviewing Labor officials to identify data
checks in place to ensure the integrity of the data, and reviewing
relevant internal control policies and procedures. On the basis of this
information, we determined that the data for program years 2005 to 2007
were sufficiently reliable for the purposes of our review.
Interviews with National and Regional Job Corps Offices:
To obtain information on Labor's efforts to address the recruitment and
retention of residential students, we interviewed Labor officials
located at the national office and six regional offices--Atlanta,
Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. Specifically,
we asked officials about current efforts under way at the national or
regional levels to improve centers' ability to recruit and retain
residential students, particularly female residential students. In
addition, we reviewed relevant documentation provided by officials to
obtain a better understanding of the purpose and status of these
efforts. We also reviewed Labor's policies governing Job Corps,
national marketing materials, and reports on regional initiatives.
We conducted this performance audit from May 2008 to June 2009, in
accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those
standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our
findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that
the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and
conclusions based on our audit objectives.
[End of section]
Appendix II: Listing of Job Corps Career Training Offerings in Program
Year 2007, by Industry Area:
Industry area: Advanced manufacturing;
Description:
* Machining;
* Manufacturing technology;
* Welding.
Industry area: Automotive and machine repair;
Description:
* Automobile technician;
* Collision repair and refinish;
* General service technician.
Industry area: Business and finance;
Description:
* Accounting services;
* Office administration.
Industry area: Construction;
* Description:
* Bricklaying;
* Carpentry;
* Cement masonry;
* Electrical;
* Facilities maintenance;
* Heating ventilation and air conditioning repair;
* Painting;
* Plastering;
* Plumbing.
Industry area: Health care;
Description:
* Clinical medical assistant;
* Dental assistant;
* Medical office support;
* Nurse assistant/Home health aide;
* Opticianry;
* Pharmacy technician;
* Licensed practical/vocational nurse.
Industry area: Homeland security;
Description:
* Security and protective services.
Industry area: Hospitality;
* Description: Culinary arts;
* Culinary arts - advanced;
* Hotel and lodging.
Industry area: Information technology;
Description:
* Computer networking/Cisco;
* Computer technician;
* Network cable installation;
* Visual communications.
Industry area: Renewable resources and energy;
Description:
* Forestry conservation and firefighting;
* Landscaping;
* Urban forestry;
* Water and wastewater treatment.
Industry area: Retail sales and services;
Description:
* Child development;
* Retail sales.
Industry area: Transportation;
Description:
* Heavy equipment operations;
* Heavy truck driving;
* Material and distribution operations.
Source: Department of Labor data.
[End of table]
[End of section]
Appendix III: Career Trainings Offered at the Job Corps Centers That We
Visited:
Career training: Advanced manufacturing: Manufacturing;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Empty];
Centennial: [Empty];
Denison: [Empty];
Frenchburg: [Empty];
Hartford: [Check];
Westover: [Empty];
Whitney Young: [Empty].
Career training: Advanced manufacturing: Welding;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Empty];
Centennial: [Check];
Denison: [Check];
Frenchburg: [Empty];
Hartford: [Empty];
Westover: [Check];
Whitney Young: [Check].
Career training: Automotive and machine repair: Automotive technician;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Empty];
Centennial: [Empty];
Denison: [Empty];
Frenchburg: [Empty];
Hartford: [Empty];
Westover: [Check];
Whitney Young: [Empty].
Career training: Business and finance: Business technology;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Check];
Centennial: [Check];
Denison: [Empty];
Frenchburg: [Check];
Hartford: [Empty];
Westover: [Check];
Whitney Young: [Empty].
Career training: Business and finance: Insurance and financial
services;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Empty];
Centennial: [Empty];
Denison: [Empty];
Frenchburg: [Empty];
Hartford: [Check];
Westover: [Empty];
Whitney Young: [Empty].
Career training: Construction: Brick masonry;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Empty];
Centennial: [Empty];
Denison: [Check];
Frenchburg: [Check];
Hartford: [Empty];
Westover: [Check];
Whitney Young: [Check].
Career training: Construction: Carpentry;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Check];
Centennial: [Check];
Denison: [Check];
Frenchburg: [Check];
Hartford: [Empty];
Westover: [Check];
Whitney Young: [Check].
Career training: Construction: Cement masonry;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Check];
Centennial: [Empty];
Denison: [Empty];
Frenchburg: [Check];
Hartford: [Empty];
Westover: [Empty];
Whitney Young: [Check].
Career training: Construction: Electrical;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Check];
Centennial: [Check];
Denison: [Empty];
Frenchburg: [Empty];
Hartford: [Empty];
Westover: [Check];
Whitney Young: [Empty].
Career training: Construction: Facilities maintenance;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Check];
Centennial: [Check];
Denison: [Check];
Frenchburg: [Check];
Hartford: [Empty];
Westover: [Check];
Whitney Young: [Check].
Career training: Construction: Painting;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Check];
Centennial: [Check];
Denison: [Check];
Frenchburg: [Check];
Hartford: [Empty];
Westover: [Empty];
Whitney Young: [Empty].
Career training: Construction: Plastering;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Empty];
Centennial: [Check];
Denison: [Empty];
Frenchburg: [Empty];
Hartford: [Empty];
Westover: [Check];
Whitney Young: [Empty].
Career training: Construction: Plumbing;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Empty];
Centennial: [Empty];
Denison: [Empty];
Frenchburg: [Empty];
Hartford: [Empty];
Westover: [Check];
Whitney Young: [Empty].
Career training: Health care: Certified nursing assistant;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Check];
Centennial: [Check];
Denison: [Check];
Frenchburg: [Empty];
Hartford: [Check];
Westover: [Check];
Whitney Young: [Check].
Career training: Health care: Dental assistant;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Check];
Centennial: [Empty];
Denison: [Empty];
Frenchburg: [Empty];
Hartford: [Empty];
Westover: [Empty];
Whitney Young: [Empty].
Career training: Health care: Medical assistant;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Check];
Centennial: [Empty];
Denison: [Empty];
Frenchburg: [Empty];
Hartford: [Empty];
Westover: [Empty];
Whitney Young: [Check].
Career training: Health care: Medical office support;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Check];
Centennial: [Empty];
Denison: [Check];
Frenchburg: [Empty];
Hartford: [Empty];
Westover: [Check];
Whitney Young: [Check].
Career training: Health care: Pharmacy technician;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Empty];
Centennial: [Empty];
Denison: [Check];
Frenchburg: [Empty];
Hartford: [Empty];
Westover: [Check];
Whitney Young: [Check].
Career training: Homeland security: Security guard;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Empty];
Centennial: [Empty];
Denison: [Check];
Frenchburg: [Empty];
Hartford: [Empty];
Westover: [Empty];
Whitney Young: [Empty].
Career training: Hospitality: Culinary arts;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Check];
Centennial: [Check];
Denison: [Check];
Frenchburg: [Check];
Hartford: [Empty];
Westover: [Check];
Whitney Young: [Check].
Career training: Information technology: Computer technician;
Job Corps center:
Cascades: [Empty];
Centennial: X;
Denison: [Empty];
Frenchburg: [Empty];
Hartford: [Empty];
Westover: [Check];
Whitney Young: [Empty].
Source: Job Corps center directors.
[End of table]
[End of section]
Appendix IV: Percentage of Planned Enrollment in Program Year 2007, by
State and Job Corps Center:
State: Alabama;
Job Corps center: Gadsden;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 128;
Females: 128;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 129;
Females: 100;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 100.8%;
Females: 78.1%.
State: Alabama;
Job Corps center: Montgomery; Alaska:
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 132;
Females: 132;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 121;
Females: 120;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 91.7;
Females:
90.9.
State: Alaska;
Job Corps center: Alaska;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 116;
Females: 116;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 115;
Females: 98;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 99.1;
Females: 84.5.
State: Arizona;
Job Corps center: Fred G. Acosta;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 100;
Females: 95;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 96;
Females: 74;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 96.0;
Females: 77.9.
State: Arizona;
Job Corps center: Phoenix;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 97;
Females: 97;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 114;
Females: 92;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 117.5;
Females: 94.8.
State: Arkansas;
Job Corps center: Cass[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 164;
Females: 60;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 136;
Females: 41;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 82.9;
Females: 68.3.
State: Arkansas;
Job Corps center: Little Rock;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 95;
Females: 80;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 78;
Females: 62;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 82.1;
Females: 77.5.
State: Arkansas;
Job Corps center: Ouachita[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 168;
Females: 56;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 154;
Females: 23;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 91.7;
Females: 41.1.
State: California;
Job Corps center: Inland Empire;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 135;
Females: 100;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 126;
Females: 107;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 93.3;
Females: 107.0.
State: California;
Job Corps center: Long Beach;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 131;
Females: 129;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 124;
Females: 119;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 94.7;
Females: 92.2.
State: California;
Job Corps center: Los Angeles;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 148;
Females: 232;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 129;
Females: 182;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 87.2;
Females: 78.4.
State: California;
Job Corps center: Sacramento;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 166;
Females: 166;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 158;
Females: 137;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 95.2;
Females: 82.5.
State: California;
Job Corps center: San Diego;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 348;
Females: 242;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 334;
Females: 241;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 96.0;
Females: 99.6.
State: California;
Job Corps center: San Jose;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 172;
Females: 158;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 173;
Females: 158;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 100.6;
Females: 100.0.
State: California;
Job Corps center: Treasure Island;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 351;
Females: 351;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 297;
Females: 274;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 84.6;
Females: 78.1.
State: Colorado;
Job Corps center: Collbran[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 108;
Females: 92;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 129;
Females: 73;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 119.4;
Females: 79.3.
State: Connecticut;
Job Corps center: Hartford;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 68;
Females: 68;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 46;
Females: 40;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 67.6;
Females: 58.8.
State: Connecticut;
Job Corps center: New Haven;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 86;
Females: 64;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 72;
Females: 43;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 83.7;
Females: 67.2.
State: Delaware;
Job Corps center: Wilmington[C];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 0;
Females: 0;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 0;
Females: 0;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 0.0;
Females: 0.0.
State: District of Columbia;
Job Corps center: Potomac;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 211;
Females: 167;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 201;
Females: 140;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 95.3;
Females: 83.8.
State: Florida;
Job Corps center: Gainesville;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 195;
Females: 120;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 214;
Females: 123;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 109.7;
Females: 102.5.
State: Florida;
Job Corps center: Homestead;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 208;
Females: 212;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 197;
Females: 170;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 94.7;
Females: 80.2.
State: Florida;
Job Corps center: Jacksonville;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 136;
Females: 136;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 128;
Females: 123;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 94.1;
Females: 90.4.
State: Florida;
Job Corps center: Miami;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 96;
Females: 64;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 87;
Females: 59;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 90.6;
Females: 92.2.
State: Georgia;
Job Corps center: Atlanta[D];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 0;
Females: 325;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 0;
Females: 256;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 0.0;
Females: 78.8.
State: Georgia;
Job Corps center: Brunswick;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 256;
Females: 144;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 250;
Females: 142;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 97.7;
Females: 98.6.
State: Georgia;
Job Corps center: Turner;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 490;
Females: 390;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 479;
Females: 295;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 97.8;
Females: 75.6.
State: Hawaii;
Job Corps center: Hawaii;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 185;
Females: 137;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 177;
Females: 135;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 95.7;
Females: 98.5.
State: Idaho;
Job Corps center: Centennial[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 132;
Females: 132;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 204;
Females: 71;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 154.5;
Females: 53.8.
State: Illinois;
Job Corps center: Chicago Paul Simon;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 164;
Females: 164;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 157;
Females: 129;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 95.7;
Females: 78.7.
State: Illinois;
Job Corps center: Golconda[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 175;
Females: 55;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 180;
Females: 34;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 102.9;
Females: 61.8.
State: Illinois;
Job Corps center: Joliet;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 120;
Females: 120;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 138;
Females: 126;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 115.0;
Females: 105.0.
State: Indiana;
Job Corps center: Atterbury;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 350;
Females: 200;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 349;
Females: 158;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 99.7;
Females: 79.0.
State: Iowa;
Job Corps center: Denison;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 148;
Females: 148;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 172;
Females: 125;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 116.2;
Females: 84.5.
State: Kansas;
Job Corps center: Flint Hills;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 120;
Females: 120;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 136;
Females: 88;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 113.3;
Females: 73.3.
State: Kentucky;
Job Corps center: Carl D. Perkins;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 180;
Females: 80;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 154;
Females: 49;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 85.6;
Females: 61.3.
State: Kentucky;
Job Corps center: Earle C. Clements;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 850;
Females: 450;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 941;
Females: 284;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 110.7;
Females: 63.1.
State: Kentucky;
Job Corps center: Frenchburg[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 112;
Females: 56;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 81;
Females: 28;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 72.3;
Females: 50.0.
State: Kentucky;
Job Corps center: Great Onyx[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 160;
Females: 54;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 156;
Females: 23;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 97.5;
Females: 42.6.
State: Kentucky;
Job Corps center: Muhlenberg;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 265;
Females: 96;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 262;
Females: 99;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 98.9;
Females: 103.1.
State: Kentucky;
Job Corps center: Pine Knot[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 168;
Females: 56;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 170;
Females: : 25;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 101.2;
Females: 44.6.
State: Kentucky;
Job Corps center: Whitney M. Young, Jr.;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 180;
Females: 180;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 166;
Females: 152;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 92.2;
Females: 84.4.
State: Louisiana;
Job Corps center: Carville;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 100;
Females: 100;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 132;
Females: 48;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 132.0;
Females: 48.0.
State: Louisiana;
Job Corps center: New Orleans[C];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 0;
Females: 0;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 0;
Females: 0;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 0.0;
Females: 0.0.
State: Louisiana;
Job Corps center: Shreveport;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 135;
Females: 115;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 117;
Females: 80;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 86.7;
Females: 69.6.
State: Maine;
Job Corps center: Loring;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 235;
Females: 135;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 229;
Females: 68;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 97.4;
Females: 50.4.
State: Maine;
Job Corps center: Penobscot;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 149;
Females: 147;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 169;
Females: 99;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 113.4;
Females: 67.3.
State: Maryland;
Job Corps center: Woodland;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 168;
Females: 132;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 162;
Females: 125;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 96.4;
Females: 94.7.
State: Maryland;
Job Corps center: Woodstock;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 295;
Females: 145;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 282;
Females: 131;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 95.6;
Females: 90.3.
State: Massachusetts;
Job Corps center: Grafton;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 130;
Females: 130;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 127;
Females: 109;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 97.7;
Females: 83.8.
State: Massachusetts;
Job Corps center: Shriver;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 170;
Females: 102;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 164;
Females: 83;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 96.5;
Females: 81.4.
State: Massachusetts;
Job Corps center: Westover;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 335;
Females: 160;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 331;
Females: 140;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 98.8;
Females: 87.5.
State: Michigan;
Job Corps center: Detroit;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 120;
Females: 120;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 109;
Females: 103;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 90.8;
Females: 85.8.
State: Michigan;
Job Corps center: Flint/Genesee;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 132;
Females: 162;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 125;
Females: 155;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 94.7;
Females: 95.7.
State: Michigan;
Job Corps center: Gerald R. Ford;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 135;
Females: 135;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 143;
Females: 112;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 105.9;
Females: 83.0.
State: Minnesota;
Job Corps center: Hubert H. Humphrey;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 140;
Females: 102;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 149;
Females: 87;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 106.4;
Females: 85.3.
State: Mississippi;
Job Corps center: Batesville;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 150;
Females: 145;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 147;
Females: 115;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 98.0;
Females: 79.3.
State: Mississippi;
Job Corps center: Gulfport[B];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 0;
Females: 0;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 0;
Females: 0;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 0.0;
Females: 0.0.
State: Mississippi;
Job Corps center: Mississippi;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 248;
Females: 147;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 180;
Females: 116;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 72.6;
Females: 78.9.
State: Missouri;
Job Corps center: Excelsior Springs;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 192;
Females: 160;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 196;
Females: 112;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 102.1;
Females: 70.0.
State: Missouri;
Job Corps center: Mingo[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 168;
Females: 56;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 136;
Females: 38;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 81.0;
Females: 67.9.
State: Missouri;
Job Corps center: St. Louis;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 280;
Females: 168;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 262;
Females: 135;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 93.6;
Females: 80.4.
State: Montana;
Job Corps center: Anaconda[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 177;
Females: 59;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 144;
Females: 40;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 81.4;
Females: 67.8.
State: Montana;
Job Corps center: Kicking Horse;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 112;
Females: 112;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 80;
Females: 66;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 71.4;
Females: 58.9.
State: Montana;
Job Corps center: Trapper Creek[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 168;
Females: 56;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 148;
Females: 36;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 88.1;
Females: 64.3.
State: Nebraska;
Job Corps center: Pine Ridge[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 168;
Females: 56;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 140;
Females: 44;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 83.3;
Females: 78.6.
State: Nevada;
Job Corps center: Sierra Nevada;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 290;
Females: 255;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 334;
Females: 209;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 115.2;
Females: 82.0.
State: New Jersey;
Job Corps center: Edison;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 295;
Females: 220;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 324;
Females: 168;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 109.8;
Females: 76.4.
State: New Mexico;
Job Corps center: Albuquerque;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 161;
Females: 164;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 199;
Females: 113;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 123.6;
Females: 68.9.
State: New Mexico;
Job Corps center: Roswell;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 125;
Females: 95;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 127;
Females: 56;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 101.6;
Females: 58.9.
State: New York;
Job Corps center: Cassadaga;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 150;
Females: 120;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 136;
Females: 105;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 90.7;
Females: 87.5.
State: New York;
Job Corps center: Delaware Valley;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 198;
Females: 198;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 193;
Females: 173;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 97.5;
Females: 87.4.
State: New York;
Job Corps center: Glenmont;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 160;
Females: 170;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 151;
Females: 110;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 94.4;
Females: 64.7.
State: New York;
Job Corps center: Iroquois;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 123;
Females: 122;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 133;
Females: 105;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 108.1;
Females: 86.1.
State: New York;
Job Corps center: Oneonta;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 210;
Females: 160;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 215;
Females: 111;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 102.4;
Females: 69.4.
State: New York;
Job Corps center: South Bronx;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 102;
Females: 97;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 89;
Females: 82;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 87.3;
Females: 84.5.
State: North Carolina;
Job Corps center: Kittrell;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 150;
Females: 150;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 155;
Females: 153;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 103.3;
Females: 102.0.
State: North Carolina;
Job Corps center: Lyndon B. Johnson[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 155;
Females: 50;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 153;
Females: 50;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 98.7;
Females: 100.0.
State: North Carolina;
Job Corps center: Oconaluftee[A],[B];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 0;
Females: 0;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 0;
Females: 0;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 0.0;
Females: 0.0.
State: North Carolina;
Job Corps center: Schenck[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 163;
Females: 56;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 173;
Females: 34;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 106.1;
Females: 60.7.
State: North Dakota;
Job Corps center: Quentin-Burdick;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 120;
Females: 120;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 118;
Females: 74;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 98.3;
Females: 61.7.
State: Ohio;
Job Corps center: Cincinnati;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 90;
Females: 55;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 93;
Females: 61;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 103.3;
Females: 110.9.
State: Ohio;
Job Corps center: Cleveland;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 120;
Females: 120;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 154;
Females: 134;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 128.3;
Females: 111.7.
State: Ohio;
Job Corps center: Dayton;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 172;
Females: 128;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 170;
Females: 105;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 98.8;
Females: 82.0.
State: Oklahoma;
Job Corps center: Guthrie;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 225;
Females: 225;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 272;
Females: 135;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 120.9;
Females: 60.0.
State: Oklahoma;
Job Corps center: Talking Leaves;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 130;
Females: 110;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 114;
Females: 79;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 87.7;
Females: 71.8.
State: Oklahoma;
Job Corps center: Treasure Lake[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 112;
Females: 56;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 94;
Females: 43;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 83.9;
Females: 76.8.
State: Oklahoma;
Job Corps center: Tulsa;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 140;
Females: 110;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 100;
Females: 60;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 71.4;
Females: 54.5.
State: Oregon;
Job Corps center: Angell[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 146;
Females: 70;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 154;
Females: 44;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 105.5;
Females: 62.9.
State: Oregon;
Job Corps center: Springdale;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 70;
Females: 50;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 66;
Females: 42;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 94.3;
Females: 84.0.
State: Oregon;
Job Corps center: Timber Lake[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 186;
Females: 48;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 177;
Females: 48;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 95.2;
Females: 100.0.
State: Oregon;
Job Corps center: Tongue Point;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 250;
Females: 250;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 264;
Females: 230;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 105.6;
Females: 92.0.
State: Oregon;
Job Corps center: Wolf Creek[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 181;
Females: 50;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 175;
Females: 54;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 96.7;
Females: 108.0.
State: Pennsylvania;
Job Corps center: Keystone;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 360;
Females: 240;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 331;
Females: 234;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 91.9;
Females: 97.5.
State: Pennsylvania;
Job Corps center: Philadelphia[C];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 0;
Females: 0;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 0;
Females: 0;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 0.0;
Females: 0.0.
State: Pennsylvania;
Job Corps center: Pittsburgh;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 210;
Females: 140;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 208;
Females: 126;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 99.0;
Females: 90.0.
State: Pennsylvania;
Job Corps center: Red Rock;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 210;
Females: 108;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 235;
Females: 85;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 111.9;
Females: 78.7.
State: Puerto Rico;
Job Corps center: Arecibo;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 72;
Females: 45;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 57;
Females: 30;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 79.2;
Females: 66.7.
State: Puerto Rico;
Job Corps center: Barranquitas;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 90;
Females: 95;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 100;
Females: 54;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 111.1;
Females: 56.8.
State: Puerto Rico;
Job Corps center: Ramey;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 136;
Females: 136;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 139;
Females: 65;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 102.2;
Females: 47.8.
State: Rhode Island;
Job Corps center: Exeter;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 100;
Females: 100;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 104;
Females: 91;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 104.0;
Females: 91.0.
State: South Carolina;
Job Corps center: Bamberg;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 120;
Females: 100;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 124;
Females: 84;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 103.3;
Females: 84.0.
State: South Dakota;
Job Corps center: Boxelder[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 156;
Females: 52;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 96;
Females: 46;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 61.5;
Females: 88.5.
State: Tennessee;
Job Corps center: Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 123;
Females: 136;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 118;
Females: 102;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 95.9;
Females: 75.0.
State: Tennessee;
Job Corps center: Jacobs Creek[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 168;
Females: 56;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 151;
Females: 27;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 89.9;
Females: 48.2.
State: Texas;
Job Corps center: David L. Carrasco;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 173;
Females: 116;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 130;
Females: 96;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 75.1;
Females: 82.8.
State: Texas;
Job Corps center: Gary;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 986;
Females: 706;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 985;
Females: 500;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 99.9;
Females: 70.8.
State: Texas;
Job Corps center: Laredo;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 100;
Females: 100;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 107;
Females: 78;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 107.0;
Females: 78.0.
State: Texas;
Job Corps center: North Texas;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 310;
Females: 340;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 329;
Females: 232;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 106.1;
Females: 68.2.
State: Utah;
Job Corps center: Clearfield;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 820;
Females: 309;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 752;
Females: 279;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 91.7;
Females: 90.3.
State: Utah;
Job Corps center: Weber Basin[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 112;
Females: 112;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 140;
Females: 83;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 125.0;
Females: 74.1.
State: Vermont;
Job Corps center: Northlands;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 153;
Females: 112;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 168;
Females: 62;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 109.8;
Females: 55.4.
State: Virginia;
Job Corps center: Blue Ridge[D];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 0;
Females: 160;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 0;
Females: 155;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 0.0;
Females: 96.9.
State: Virginia;
Job Corps center: Flatwoods[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 168;
Females: 56;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 138;
Females: 11;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 82.1;
Females: 19.6.
State: Virginia;
Job Corps center: Old Dominion; Washington State:
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 215;
Females: 115;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 223;
Females: 105;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 103.7;
Females: 91.3.
State: Washington State;
Job Corps center: Cascades;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 218;
Females: 109;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 185;
Females: 142;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 84.9;
Females: 130.3.
State: Washington State;
Job Corps center: Columbia Basin[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 175;
Females: 75;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 157;
Females: 87;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 89.7;
Females: 116.0.
State: Washington State;
Job Corps center: Curlew[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 150;
Females: 48;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 152;
Females: 30;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 101.3;
Females: 62.5.
State: Washington State;
Job Corps center: Fort Simcoe[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 175;
Females: 49;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 161;
Females: 37;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 92.0;
Females: 75.5.
State: West Virginia;
Job Corps center: Charleston;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 168;
Females: 168;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 169;
Females: 157;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 100.6;
Females: 93.5.
State: West Virginia;
Job Corps center: Harpers Ferry[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 156;
Females: 54;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 135;
Females: 35;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 86.5;
Females: 64.8.
State: Wisconsin;
Job Corps center: Blackwell[A];
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 153;
Females: 52;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 147;
Females: 54;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 96.1;
Females: 103.8.
State: National;
Average planned center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 21,722;
Females: 15,754;
Average actual center enrollment for residential students:
Males: 21,276;
Females: 12,525;
Percentage of planned center enrollment:
Males: 97.9%;
Females: 79.5%.
Source: Department of Labor data.
[A] Civilian Conservation Center.
[B] Center was closed during program year 2007.
[C] Center has only nonresidential students.
[D] Center has male and female nonresidential students, but only female
residential students.
[End of table]
[End of section]
Appendix V: Regional Initiatives Approved by the Department of Labor:
Region: Boston (Region 1);
Description:
* Develop training paths that allow students to pursue additional
training at the same or another center, especially in the health care
and automotive industries. Establish rules that all centers in the
region will implement and require outreach and admissions contractors
to provide students with detailed information on these rules prior to
enrollment;
Number of participating centers: 19.
Region: Philadelphia (Region 2);
Description:
* Offer more recreational and learning activities during evenings and
weekends; Number of participating centers: 3;
* Prioritize tutoring for students with tests scores in the lowest
quartile to improve academic achievement and retention; Number of
participating centers: 5.
Region: Atlanta (Region 3);
Description:
* Develop and deploy professional development for staff who help
students during unstructured times and influence their retention, such
as residential and recreational staff. Enhance coordination between
these staff and instructors;
Number of participating centers: 4.
Region: Dallas (Region 4);
Description:
* Create a more positive student culture based on shared norms, rather
than rules and discipline, through activities such as training of Job
Corps staff, peer counseling for poorly performing students, and
facilitating group discussions each day for students to address
concerns;
Number of participating centers: 3.
Region: Chicago (Region 5);
Description:
* Assess student interests and aptitude more thoroughly to select a
career training option during the career preparation period. Provide
intensive drug counseling for students who test positive for drugs upon
entering the program;
Number of participating centers: 1.
Region: San Francisco (Region 6);
Description:
* Strengthen collaboration between academics and career training in the
industry area of health care, such as the vocabulary needed for
training. Enroll students in this industry area as a cohort rather than
the traditional progression of open-entry, open-exit for each student;
Number of participating centers: 2.
Source: Department of Labor.
[End of table]
[End of section]
Appendix VI: Comments from the Department of Labor:
U.S. Department of Labor:
Office of Job Corps:
Washington, D.C. 20210:
May 14, 2009:
Memorandum For: Dianne Blank:
Assistant Director, Education:
Government Accountability Office:
From: [Signed by] Esther R. Johnson, Ed.D.
Administrator:
Office of Job Corps:
Subject: Response to the GAO Draft Report on "Better Targeted Career
Training and Improved Pre-Enrollment Information Could Enhance Female
Student Recruitment and Retention," GAO-09-470:
Thank you for the opportunity to review the Government Accountability
Office (GAO) draft report entitled. "Better Targeted Career Training
and Improved Pre-Enrollment Information Could Enhance Female Student
Recruitment and Retention," GAO-09-470, dated June 2009. Listed below
are GAO's recommendations including the Office of Job Corps (OJC)
response:
GAO Recommendation1:
Review the availability and selection of career training offerings at
centers. particularly at those centers that arc experiencing difficulty
with female enrollment. and asses whether centers need to adjust their
career training options to offer more career training that is both
attractive to Females and that could lead to careers that will enable
them to become self-sufficient.
OJC Response:
Concur-In-Part. Job Corps fully understands the need to offer "female-
friendly" career technical training programs in order to increase
female enrollment. We believe it is important to do so by providing
training in programs that offer long term, sustainable employment.
Under our New Vision, we are targeting training in high-skill, high-
growth careers such as the health, automotive, and renewable energy
industries. Job Corps is committed to training all our students in
careers that provide a livable wage and promote career growth and
pathways beyond entry level employment. In selecting new trade
offerings. Job Corps routinely looks beyond traditional occupations for
females and seeks to maximize opportunities, when available, that will
result in significantly more substantive employment and that will
ensure long term economic self-sufficiency.
Job Corps is researching new and emerging industries that will provide
national direction reflecting a program design even more responsive to
changes in global and local labor markets. Efforts to "green" Job Corps
by adding, enhancing, and expanding green job training will support the
exploration of new and emerging industries - which will expand
opportunities for the entire Job Corps Student population including
females.
Job Carps works to address all the factors that prevent women from
enrolling and graduating from the program. in addition to female trade
preferences, women are more like to have parental responsibilities that
keep them from enrolling or graduating. Women are also more aware of
their surroundings and how safe they feel. Job Corps will continue to
address all these factors in order to increase and retain female
enrollment.
GAO Recommendation 2:
Expand current efforts to ensure that outreach and admissions
contractors across all six regions consistently provide potential
students with complete and accurate information on all aspects of Job
Corps, including providing specific information about the center in
which the student will be enrolled.
OJC Response:
Concur. The National Office of Job Corps understands the importance of
providing complete and accurate information to applicants. The program
has taken a number of steps in the last year to ensure complete and
accurate information is provided. Job Corps has established new
contracting mechanisms, created new collateral materials, and developed
a new recruitment Web site to ensure applicants and their families/
guardians have a complete understanding about the Job Corps program.
The Boston Regional Office has developed a very clear and concise
video, "What to Expect in Job Corps" featuring a Job Corps student
explaining center rules and the expected mode of conduct. This video is
required viewing for all Job Corps applicants in the Boston Region. The
National Office of Job Corps is exploring the ability to duplicate this
video and require that it be seen by all Job Corps applicants across
the country.
Job Corps also recently launched a new national recruitment Web site.
This site was created to communicate directly with our target audience:
students and parents. Multi-media information is readily available
about the program. In addition, each Job Corps center has created an
individual site that provides for specific center information. On each
center specific site, all the details the center deems import and for
new students is available.
The Job Corps program will continue to explore innovative ways of
informing applicants and their families/guardians about the services
and expectations regarding the Job Corps program at each of our
centers.
GAO Recommendation 3:
Explore the feasibility or cost effectiveness of developing video or
online virtual tours for all centers.
OJC Response:
Concur. Job Corps understands firsthand the importance of applicants
being able to tour centers prior to enrolling. Job Corps policy
requires Outreach and Admissions (O A) staff to provide center tours
whenever possible. Unfortunately. due to travel expenses this may not
he readily available to everyone. Therefore, the National Office of Job
Corps has put tools and resources in place for applicants to gain the
experience in determining what a center is actually like such as DVD's,
marketing materials, and Web site information.
In addition, to the Boston Region's "What to Expect in Job Corps" DVD,
the National Office of Job Corps is also exploring cost-effective
options to creating a center-specific video for all Job Corps centers.
Job Carps is developing a DVD that will combine center video footage
and center-specific still photography. The six to seven minute piece
will provide an overview of Job Corps' training and education
opportunities while highlighting programs and information about
individual centers using still photography. A prototype will be
produced and evaluated for its effectiveness prior to creating one for
each center.
[End of section]
Appendix VII: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments:
GAO Contact:
Kay E. Brown, (202) 512-7215 or brownke@gao.gov:
Staff Acknowledgments:
Dianne Blank, Assistant Director, and Wayne Sylvia, Analyst-in-Charge,
managed all aspects of this assignment. Also, Matthew Saradjian and
Ashanta Williams made significant contributions to this report in all
aspects of our work. In addition, Shana Wallace provided methodological
assistance; Stuart Kaufman assisted in the design of the two national
surveys; Catherine Hurley analyzed responses from the national surveys;
Mimi Nguyen provided graphic design assistance; Jessica Botsford
provided legal support; Jessica Orr provided writing assistance; and
Sara Edmondson verified our findings.
[End of section]
Related GAO Products:
Job Corps: Links With Labor Market Improved but Vocational Training
Performance Overstated. GAO/HEHS-99-15. Washington, D.C.:
November 4, 1998.
Job Corps: Vocational Training Performance Data Overstate Program
Success. [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO/T-HEHS-98-218].
Washington, D.C.: July 29, 1998.
Job Corps: Participant Selection and Performance Measurement Need to Be
Improved. [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO/T-HEHS-98-37].
Washington, D.C.: October 23, 1997.
Job Corps: Need for Better Enrollment Guidance and Improved Placement
Measures. [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO/HEHS-98-1].
Washington, D.C.: October 21, 1997.
Job Corps: Where Participants Are Recruited, Trained, and Placed in
Jobs. [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO/HEHS-96-140].
Washington, D.C.: July 17, 1996.
Job Corps: Comparison of Federal Program With State Youth Training
Initiatives. [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO/HEHS-96-92].
Washington, D.C.: March 28, 1996.
Job Corps: High Costs and Mixed Results Raise Questions About Program's
Effectiveness. [hyperlink,
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO/HEHS-95-180]. Washington, D.C.: June
30, 1995.
[End of section]
Footnotes:
[1] A program year begins July 1 of a year and ends on June 30 of the
following year. Thus, program year 2007 began on July 1, 2007, and
ended on June 30, 2008.
[2] Because students stay on average for 8 months, approximately 60,000
students will occupy the 44,000 slots allocated for the year.
[3] This number includes 2 centers that are temporarily closed--1
because of Hurricane Katrina and 1 because of safety issues. In
addition, Job Corps has plans to open 5 new centers.
[4] We did not survey Job Corps center directors at the 2 centers that
were closed or the 3 centers that had entirely nonresidential students.
[5] The criteria for being considered low income include receiving
public assistance or having a total family income that does not exceed
the higher of the poverty level or 70 percent of the lower living
standard income level, which is adjusted annually by the Secretary of
Labor to account for regional, metropolitan, urban, and rural
differences and for family size.
[6] The percentages for student characteristics were calculated using
the total number of students enrolled in Job Corps during program year
2007.
[7] Three centers enroll only nonresidential students.
[8] One-stop centers are required under the Workforce Investment Act to
be the access point for services provided by 16 federally funded
employment and training programs.
[9] In addition, several Job Corps centers also had contracts to
recruit potential applicants for their specific centers.
[10] Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., Evaluation of the Economic
Impact of the Job Corps Program: Third Follow-up Report (September
1982).
[11] Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., Does Job Corps Work? Summary of
the National Job Corps Study (June 2001).
[12] Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., National Job Corps Study and
Longer-Term Follow-Up Study: Impact and Benefit-Cost Findings Using
Survey and Summary Earnings Records Data Final Report (August 2006).
[13] In program year 2007, 115 Job Corps centers enrolled male
residential students and 117 centers enrolled female residential
students. We classified a center as being at or near capacity if it
achieved an average actual enrollment of over 95 percent of the planned
enrollment.
[14] Two factors enabled Job Corps to have achieved 98 percent of the
planned enrollment for male residential students in program year 2007,
even though only 62 percent of the centers operated at or near capacity
for this group. First, 42 of the 71 centers that operated at or near
capacity for males exceeded more than 100 percent of their planned
enrollment. For example, 1 center we visited achieved 130 percent of
its planned enrollment for male residential students. Second, centers
vary in size so that a larger center with a greater planned enrollment
affects the overall national percentage more than a smaller center.
[15] Students may be enrolled for up to 2 years. An optional 3rd year
is granted for students who qualify for advanced training.
[16] The advisory committee consists of 16 members appointed by the
Secretary of Labor and includes representatives from the employer
community, organized labor, law enforcement, workforce development,
armed forces, education, and faith-based and community organizations.
[17] A program year begins July 1 of a year and ends on June 30 of the
following year. Thus, program year 2007 began on July 1, 2007, and
ended on June 30, 2008.
[18] We did not survey Job Corps center directors at the 2 centers that
were closed or the 3 centers that had entirely nonresidential students.
[19] At the 7th center, the Denison Job Corps Center, we conducted
three focus groups with female residents--two with main campus female
residential students and one with female parents living in the single-
parent dormitory.
[End of section]
GAO's Mission:
The Government Accountability Office, the audit, evaluation and
investigative arm of Congress, exists to support Congress in meeting
its constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance
and accountability of the federal government for the American people.
GAO examines the use of public funds; evaluates federal programs and
policies; and provides analyses, recommendations, and other assistance
to help Congress make informed oversight, policy, and funding
decisions. GAO's commitment to good government is reflected in its core
values of accountability, integrity, and reliability.
Obtaining Copies of GAO Reports and Testimony:
The fastest and easiest way to obtain copies of GAO documents at no
cost is through GAO's Web site [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov]. Each
weekday, GAO posts newly released reports, testimony, and
correspondence on its Web site. To have GAO e-mail you a list of newly
posted products every afternoon, go to [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov]
and select "E-mail Updates."
Order by Phone:
The price of each GAO publication reflects GAO‘s actual cost of
production and distribution and depends on the number of pages in the
publication and whether the publication is printed in color or black and
white. Pricing and ordering information is posted on GAO‘s Web site,
[hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/ordering.htm].
Place orders by calling (202) 512-6000, toll free (866) 801-7077, or
TDD (202) 512-2537.
Orders may be paid for using American Express, Discover Card,
MasterCard, Visa, check, or money order. Call for additional
information.
To Report Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in Federal Programs:
Contact:
Web site: [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/fraudnet/fraudnet.htm]:
E-mail: fraudnet@gao.gov:
Automated answering system: (800) 424-5454 or (202) 512-7470:
Congressional Relations:
Ralph Dawn, Managing Director, dawnr@gao.gov:
(202) 512-4400:
U.S. Government Accountability Office:
441 G Street NW, Room 7125:
Washington, D.C. 20548:
Public Affairs:
Chuck Young, Managing Director, youngc1@gao.gov:
(202) 512-4800:
U.S. Government Accountability Office:
441 G Street NW, Room 7149:
Washington, D.C. 20548:
