Peach Tree Times

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is leading a push to reopen the Job Corps Center in Atlanta and expand workforce training opportunities across Georgia.

In his latest action to boost workforce training in Georgia, Sen. Ossoff is launching an inquiry with the Department of Labor (DOL) to reopen the Job Corps Atlanta site, which provided housing and tailored professional training to students seeking jobs in Georgia.

The Job Corps Atlanta site was closed in 2017 due to issues with its private building contractor’s construction plans. However, DOL and the building contractor recently entered a settlement in early 2023 to move forward with building the new center. 

Sen. Ossoff is calling on DOL to share written commitments to reopen the center and provide Georgians with more information on the status of the project. In a series of questions, Sen. Ossoff requests written updates on the new center, including if the Office of Job Corps will offer a temporary space until the new center in Atlanta is fully operational.

“I have been following the timeline of the Atlanta Job Corps Center and have heard from constituents who would like to receive more timely updates on the status of the project,” Sen. Ossoff wrote to the National Office of Job Corps. “The state of the site is unacceptable to the neighboring community, and the community needs the Office of Job Corps to be more responsive.”

The Job Corps program is the largest free residential education and job training program for young adults between the ages of 16 to 24. Until its closure in 2017, the Atlanta Job Corps Center had nearly 140 staff members training more than 475 students annually, helping build a skilled workforce for the state.

Sen. Ossoff continues working to help Georgia students access opportunities that prepare them for successful careers. Earlier this year, Sen. Ossoff called on his colleagues in the U.S. Senate to pass the bipartisan JOBS Act to help more students access and afford job training programs.

Click here to read Sen. Ossoff’s inquiry with DOL.

Original Source can be found here.