Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) led a letter joined by Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Governor Joe Lombardo (R-Nev.), and Representatives Mark Amodei (R-Nev.-02), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.-04), Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01), and Susie Lee (D-Nev.-03) demanding that the Department of Labor (DOL) reverse course on its decision to defund and close Nevada’s Job Corps Program. The bipartisan outcry from Nevada officials at all levels underscores the importance of the Sierra Nevada Job Corps to Northern Nevada and its impact on tens of thousands of unprivileged students, staff, and employers from throughout the state.
“For more than sixty years, Job Corps has aided millions of low-income individuals gain the skills they need to succeed in the workplace,” wrote the officials. “Job Corps is the largest free residential education and job training program for young adults aged 16-24; and thus, is vital to helping students graduate high school, develop career technical skills, and connect students with employers. At a time when almost three-fourths of jobs require training beyond a high school diploma, Job Corps provides students the opportunity to succeed when they may not initially have the tools to do so.”
“The Sierra Nevada Job Corps Center in Reno has been a vital economic engine for Northern Nevada, serving approximately 25,000 Nevadans since its opening, and graduating more than 500 vocational students a year,” they continued. “In the 2024 program year alone, nearly 82 percent of its students secured full-time employment with a starting wage of at least $17.97 per hour — nearly $6 above the Nevada’s minimum wage. Furthermore, 75 percent of Sierra Nevada Job Corps participants earn at least one certification required by employers.”
“The DOL’s imminent stop work order on all Job Corps programming will displace approximately nearly 300 students and 170 staff members at the Sierra Nevada Job Corps Center,” they concluded. “The closure will also compel the Center to evict all of its students, leaving the vast majority at serious risk of homelessness. […] While we appreciate your department working to increase accountability and bring workforce programs into alignment with the Administration’s priorities, we strongly urge you reconsider the decision to cut funding and close Job Corps programs in Nevada and nationwide.”
Full text of the letter can be found here.
Senator Cortez Masto has been consistent in her fights against harmful gutting of support to students and families in need throughout Nevada, including cuts to mental health grant funding and food and nutrition programs. She has also delivered critical support to at-risk youth across Nevada. She helped secure nearly $12 million in funding for the Communities in Schools (CIS) program, which works with local partner organizations to provide eligible students and their families with essential services, including mental health care and access to high-quality afterschool and leadership programs. Cortez Masto’s provision to increase the number of mental health professionals in schools was included in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was signed into law.
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