Center Director Kimberley Zufelt and Dental Assisting Student Iolite-Jasper Wright attended the Job Corps Leadership Summit 2.0 in Washington DC the last week in November.
The Center Directors met with the National Director, Rachel Torres, and Secretary of Labor, Marty Walsh. The conference centered around “Job Corps 2.0” and a much needed rebranding of the old Job Corps. Ms. Zufelt said she was “Most inspired by the focus on making Job Corps more visible to the public. Also, the emphasis on the role that Job Corps can play in addressing the labor shortages now and forecast in the future.”
Ms. Wright met with many other dignitaries at the conference including:
Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley,
Second Gentlemen of United States Douglas Emhoff,
Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh,
Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie Su,
Rachel Torres, Administrator and National Director, Office of Job Corps, and,
Brent Parton Deputy Director of the Center on Education & Labor.
Ms. Wright stated, “The thing I love the most about going to DC and representing our center was talking to as many people as I did and the dignitaries that we did talk to talked to us, not at us.”
Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh shared his vision for the future of Job Corps with the students and believes Job Corps is the answer to the national labor shortage. He also has plans to improve facilities and make funding available for major maintenance items and program enhancements.
Ms. Wright was hosted by the Potomac Job Corps Center and did a great job representing Tongue Point Job Corps at the conference. She also toured the U.S. Capitol Building and the Department of Labor Building as a part of the trip.