'Absolutely devastating': Clearfield Job Corps training program among 99 to be shuttered

CLEARFIELD — On hearing the news that the federal Job Corps program in Clearfield will be one of nearly 100 around the country shutting its doors, Adrian Asencio's reaction was intense and immediate.

"I was crying for about three hours, because when I heard this, it hurt," Asencio, studying automotive repair, said Friday, a day after the U.S. Department of Labor announced the decision.

"It hurt me because we're all just scared, not knowing what we're going to do."

The Department of Labor announced Thursday that it's shuttering the 99 contractor-operated Job Corps centers around the United States. The agency characterized the program as flawed and said all 99 of the operations would have to shut their doors by the end of June, though students will have to leave sooner.

The Clearfield Job Corps center, which sits on a 70-acre campus adjacent to the Freeport Warehousing and Distribution Center, opened nearly six decades ago in 1966 and typically serves 800 to 1,000 teens and young adults at any given time, providing vocational training in a range of subjects.

"Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training and community," Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement. "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."

The decision — focus of speculation for weeks as the Trump administration presses for spending cuts — means an abrupt end to the job training that Asencio, hundreds of other Clearfield students, and around 25,000 in all around the country, have been receiving. Indeed, federal officials' dim view of the program notwithstanding, its backers in Clearfield are lamenting the move.

"It's devastating, absolutely devastating," said Clearfield Mayor Mark Shepherd, who is very familiar with the program and its students. "You've got kids that are in internships right now that won't be able to finish those internships."

He said auto dealerships and Davis Technical College, among other entities, collaborated with the Clearfield Job Corps program in providing internships and educational programming for Job Corps students.

Students participating in the Davis Tech program "are being hired by Lockheed (Martin) and your other aerospace companies because they're skilled now in composite work," Shepherd said. Those getting vocational certificates are "coming out with life-sustaining, family-sustaining jobs in many cases. There's great things that they're doing."

The Clearfield Job Corps program is operated by Management and Training Corp., and the private contractor also bemoaned Thursday's decision.

"The closure of Job Corps represents not just a loss of educational opportunity, but also a loss of hope for many who rely on this program to break the cycle of poverty and achieve career success," the contractor said in a statement. Management and Training Corp. has operated the Clearfield program since 1981 and runs 15 others around the country.

The Clearfield Job Corps program employs around 350 people, whose future is also thrown into question.

'We don't get to finish what we started'

Job Corps programs offer vocational training in health care, auto repair, construction and other fields, serving those aged 16-24, typically from lower-income backgrounds. Some haven't graduated from high school, others have disabilities and some contend with homelessness.

"I love it," said Asencio, who's from West Jordan. The program "has its ups and downs, but I still work through it."

Wayne Summerset, a student from Houston, Texas, said he had been studying cybersecurity. "My reaction was very, very disappointed. It's a bummer. We don't get to finish what we started," he said.

One of the best things about the Job Corps program, he said, was the support students had from instructors, counselors and others.

"Now I've just got to motivate myself, figure things out," said Summerset, who may now seek other programming to get professional certifications.

Jaiydin Watley, who's from Dallas, has been studying plumbing. He said he may go back to Texas and look for work in the field.

"As long as you stay positive and keep a positive outlook on things, I really don't have any gripes or comments or concerns," he said. With what he's learned in his 18 months in Clearfield, he said, he "will go far in my life."

In shuttering the program, the Department of Labor said the Job Corps program registered a $140 million deficit in 2024. The figure is expected to reach $213 million in 2025. The department, while saying it's evaluating "the program's possibilities," also reported some of the findings from an April 25 "transparency report." The program's average graduation rate is 38.6%, average cost per student per year is $80,284.65, and the average annual salary after program participants leave is $16,995.

The Management and Training Corp. statement said the federal report painted "a distorted picture." The 38.6% graduation rate surpasses the 31% rate for two-year colleges and surpassed 60% before the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the contractor said Job Corps graduates earned a median wage of $31,000 in 2024, exceeding federal goals.

"Job Corps has long been hindered by excessive regulations and the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. These external challenges have exacerbated enrollment declines and operational hurdles, yet the program has continued to provide vital services to youth in need," said Management and Training Corp.

Operators of the Clearfield program are helping students and staff plan their next steps, though students are supposed to be gone by June 6. The Utah Department of Workforce Services will also offer help to Job Corps students and staff, said department spokeswoman Christine Davis.

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