“This is going to have a huge impact” DOL to pause Don Young Job Corps center operations

On May 29, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced it will begin a phased ‘pause’ in operations at contractor-operated Job Corps centers nationwide, set to take place by June 30, 2025.

Here in the Mat-Su Borough, Bobbie Irvin, the Director of the Don Young Job Corps Center, located in Palmer, says that it isn’t a pause, but a closure of the center. “This is going to have a huge impact on the students, the community, and the state.”

The DOL says that the Job Corps program has faced significant financial challenges under its current operating structure. In 2024, the program operated at a $140 million deficit, requiring the Biden administration to implement a pause in center operations to complete the program year. The deficit is projected to reach $213 million in 2025.

Irvin, however says that this is more than just money.

“This is not just the government, not just numbers. This is about the humans who work here, the humans that study and train, and take that back home. Where are they going to go now?” He recalls one student who works at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) at the Water Treatment Plant and studies at Job Corps, whose future will be in limbo with the closure. “He is an Alaska Native, Air National Guard, just an amazing young man. JBER can’t hire him because of the hiring freeze. I can’t keep him here if we close. What’s going to happen to him?” He says that’s just one of the many students he worries for, who come from villages all across the state to receive the one-of-a-kind training at Job Corps that they could not otherwise get, and take that back to their villages to improve the futures of their homes, and the future of Alaska.

He said that is just one of the many, many stories of the students who have gone through the doors for the training that some can only get here because college just is not an option.

“Some are one test away from their GED, others are so close to finishing their training program. How do I send them home like this?”

Irvin says he has been in touch with the Alaska Congressional Delegation, who has been supportive of the Job Corps program, and is working to try and reverse the decision. He says that some of the partners that support the Job Corps have filed for a temporary restraining order that would give them time to save the program.

In a statement from his office, Senator Dan Sullivan’s office said that while President Trump issued a Day One executive order directing his administration to unleash Alaska’s resource development sector and grow the state’s economy, he believes Job Corps is vital to fulfilling President Trump’s order, preparing young Alaskans for the growing number of good-paying jobs that are essential to supporting the major private sector, military and infrastructure investments being made in Alaska. “The Senator has consistently supported funding for Job Corps through the annual appropriations process, and will do so again this year. He is also engaging with the Labor Secretary directly to voice Alaskans’ opposition to this closure and to highlight Job Corps’ importance to Alaska’s growing economy.”

Senator Lisa Murkowski acknowledges that some Job Corps centers may be struggling across the country, but the Don Young Alaska Job Corps Center is an exception, standing out as a model of excellence. “It has prepared over 7,000 young Alaskans from across the state to become leaders in their communities by equipping them with highly technical skills that can serve as a foundation for their careers,” she said in a statement. “We are relying on the center to play a crucial role in meeting the workforce needs for the large-scale projects this administration is prioritizing.” The senator said she opposed the DOL’s blanket closure of all Job Corps Centers nationwide and am urging Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer to consider the significant loss this would pose, not only for Alaska, but for the administration’s resource development goals in the state.”

More than anything, Irvin says he is baffled by the decision to end the program, given President Donald Trump’s stated support for trade schools. “I am considering taking three billion dollars of grant money... And giving it to TRADE SCHOOLS…” President Trump posted on Truth Social just days ago on May 26, 2025.

“The president want more money invested in trade schools, so this makes no sense to close a vital training program,” Irvin says.

“Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training, and community,” said Secretary Chavez-DeRemer. “However, a startling number of serious incident reports and our in-depth fiscal analysis reveal the program is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve. We remain committed to ensuring all participants are supported through this transition and connected with the resources they need to succeed as we evaluate the program’s possibilities.”

Irvin says it is important for people to reach out to Congress and tell them how important the program is to the future of Alaska. “We are pulling out all the stops to save it.” He encourages people to reach out to Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski, Representative Nick Begich, and even Governor Mike Dunleavy, and tell them how much the Don Young Job Corps Center means to Alaska.