JOB CORPS ANACONDA, MT—U.S. Senator Jon Tester paid a visit Thursday to the Anaconda Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center for a first-hand look at how Montana’s three Job Corps Centers serve their communities and help create local jobs.
Job Corps is a unique national program that provides a safe, residential environment for underserved, unemployed youth, 16 to 24, to help them prepare for future success in the workplace, higher education or the military.
“The training and guidance Montanans receive from Jobs Corps teachers and administrators build foundations for success and provide Montana businesses with skilled employees,” Senator Tester said. “Montana’s Job Corps programs are strong examples of what happens when we support a community-driven investment in our future.
“I’ll keep fighting for worthwhile educational opportunities like Montana’s Job Corps, because they work, they create jobs, and they empower Montanans with the skills they need for a stronger workforce,” Senator Tester said.
Three of the nation’s 124 Job Corps centers are located in Montana: Anaconda Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center in Anaconda; Kicking Horse Job Corps Center in Ronan; and Trapper Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center in Darby. Together, the three centers serve 1026 students each year, support 684 local, private-sector jobs and stimulate almost $47 million in economic activity.
“We are proud that Senator Tester understands Job Corps works,” said Jim Davison, Executive Director of the Anaconda Local Development Corporation (ALDC) and President of the Anaconda Job Corps Community Relations Council. “Hundreds of Montana’s small businesses have benefitted because of Job Corps’ model of training uneducated young people into highly motivated, industry-trained employees who become active contributors to their community and to the economy.”
Since Job Corps was created 47 years ago, it has served more than 3 million out-of-work young adults and underserved youth, helping them overcome struggles to become active contributors to their communities. Approximately 86% of Job Corps graduates go on to find and keep jobs, enlist in the military or pursue higher education.
Job Corps is also a vital part of the local community. For every dollar invested in the average Job Corps center, almost $2 is returned to the local economy, including small-business support, additional tax revenue and lower public assistance costs.
Next week, Kicking Horse Job Corps and Anaconda Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center will participate in National Job Corps Commencement Day. It will be the first time ever that a majority of the nation’s 147 centers have held events on the same day to acknowledge approximately 60,000 new and recent graduates across the country.
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http://tester.senate.gov/Newsroom/2011_08_25_anaconda_job_corps_video.cfm