FLINT, Michigan — The U.S. Department of Labor, under directives tied to President Trump’s sweeping federal downsizing agenda, recently announced a plan to phase out contractor-run Job Corps centers — programs that have provided vocational training, education, and residential support to low-income youth for decades.

Nationwide, nearly 100 centers are affected, including Michigan’s Flint-Genesee Job Corps, which is set to close by June 30. While the administration cites inefficiency, low graduation rates, and inflated costs, the abruptness of the decision has laid bare the human toll in hard-hit communities.

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer framed the closures as a fiscally responsible move. In an internal “transparency report” released in April, officials concluded that the Job Corps system is “no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve” — casting the average graduation rate at around 38–39 percent and per-graduate costs as high as $155,600 nationally, with the least efficient centers reaching $512,800. With these figures in hand, the Department ordered contractor-run centers to begin halting operations by June 30. 

However, on June 4, U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter quickly issued a temporary restraining order, halting any contract terminations or site closures, following a lawsuit filed by the National Job Corps Association. A federal judge in New York has temporarily frozen the Trump administration’s plan to eliminate Job Corps, the nation’s largest job-training program for low-income youth. 

In the center of Flint, the pause took effect immediately, catching students and staff off guard. Across the sprawling campus on North Saginaw Street, students and community members say the reprieve feels more like a pause than a victory before the next blow.

“I was completely stunned. I just started the program a month and a week prior, so any chance of completing a trade was obsolete,” said student Deonta Gaddy Jr.

For young people like Gaddy, the decision poses a threat far greater than a class schedule. “Job Corps is an oasis in the ruins that is the northside and gives many of the youth ample room for growth and development,” he added, warning that some classmates have already been “sent to shelters due to lack of housing.”

The Labor Department announced the termination plan last week, arguing the program is expensive and inefficient. Job Corps, established by Congress in 1964, “allows 16-to-24-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds to obtain high school diplomas or an equivalent, vocational certificates and licenses, and on-the-job training. The program currently serves about 25,000 people at 120 Job Corps centers run by contractors.” 

The uncertainty cuts deepest for students who were on the brink of completing their certifications.

“Just before the closure, I had completed my Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) coursework and was preparing to take my state board exam, which would enable me to work as a licensed CNA,” said President of the Student Government Association and the Healthy Living and Active Lifestyles Committee, ZaMari’ah Ellis. “The timing of the closure left me in a position where, despite my training, I could not pursue employment in my desired field due to the absence of my state license.”

Xzavier Simon | FlintsideLocal churches and organizations are coming together to continue providing resources for students affected by the Job Corps' impending closure.Ellis had hoped to remain on site long enough to finalize her credentials. “I sincerely hope that should the Job Corps program close on June 17, the Department of Labor will consider allowing students to remain on the premises until they have a clear, actionable plan for their future.”

Gaddy is blunt about what students need now: “Shelter for those in need, jobs, food for those in need, and perhaps a support group as well.”

Faith-based groups have begun filling the gap. At Hand of God Ministries (HOGM), Marketing Director Leah Feimster discusses how its Social Justice Ministry is hosting weekly virtual counseling sessions, providing funding for transportation to students who come from out-of-state, and organizing a job fair on July 27 with on-the-spot hiring.

“Our partnership with Job Corps is rooted in love, support, and restoration. At Hand of God Ministries, we provide mental health healing, housing assistance, transportation, and real job opportunities, but we know we can’t do this work alone,” says Dr. Tonya C. Bailey, Pastor of Hand of God Ministries. “HOGM is not just a place; it’s a people. A community of faith and action coming together to stand in the gap for young adults and show them that hope is still possible.”

Ellis says such efforts may determine whether students stay the course or abandon hard-won goals. “The Job Corps program is vital, not just in Michigan but nationwide, as it provides essential opportunities and support to our youth that they might not otherwise have access to.”

Job Corps sits on the city’s north side, bordered by shuttered factories, blight, and corner stores. Without the program, Gaddy warns, “I can almost feel the crime rate rising only in the means of [students] doing what they feel they have to, the last resort.”

If the court sides with the administration, funding could dry up within days. Even if the judge extends the stay, Congress would still need to appropriate next year’s budget by September 30 — another cliffhanger for Flint students who already feel like pawns in a political game.

Ellis planned to appeal directly to Rep. McDonald Rivet during the canceled campus visit. She rehearsed her remarks anyway:

“Hello, Congresswoman McDonald Rivet. My name is ZaMari’ah Ellis, and I proudly serve as the President of the Student Government Association. I’m not just training for a career, I’m building a mission to bring healing and hope to others.”

Gaddy, meanwhile, is channeling frustration into activism. “This has pushed me to drive full force into my passion [for] music and visual arts. I want to become more active in politics, too,” he said, calling himself “a statistic…one of many affected by this shift.”

For Flint, deadlines feel less abstract: CNA exams, Commercial Driver’s License classes, welding certifications, and GEDs all run on calendar dates. When the clock stops, so do paychecks, housing, and healthcare for the students behind those acronyms.

“Job Corps has undeniably provided me with a sense of direction and purpose, which has become more challenging to navigate in the absence of this support system,” says Ellis.

Gaddy frames the fight as bigger than one center: “As long as a country built off of inequality keeps those same powers in power, we will never be able to change and continue to run the cycle.”

Whether Washington listens remains uncertain. For now, Flint’s young trainees cling to a court order and community kindness — an oasis they hope will not dry up before their futures can fully take root.