The writer is the center director of Glenmont Job Corps Academy.
It was a long, back breaking day of physical work. The group of Glenmont Job Corps students who helped out several homeowners in the Schenectady’s Stockade riverfront section affected by Hurricane Irene were exhausted and had dried, caked mud on their boots and pants.
When they finished up, they left with more than just muddy boots. They left with a feeling of pride and a sense of helping others that prompted them to ask: “When can we help again?”
Job Corps students and staff log countless hours of volunteer service every year, just one of the ways Glenmont Job Corps Academy gives back to our community. Glenmont Job Corps has provided hundreds of hours to the Hurricane Irene clean up efforts as well as assisting with community service projects for the Equinox Thanksgiving Day Community Dinner, the Albany Stratton VA Medical Center, New Hope Church, Capital Holiday Lights, American Red Cross, Bethlehem Town Parks and more.
Glenmont Job Corps has had a presence in the Capital District since it was established here in 1977 on the site of the former Our Lady of Angels Seminary site along the Hudson River in Glenmont. We serve 340 students, split between residential students who live on our campus and some who are Capital Region residents who commute to our program Monday through Friday.
Glenmont Job Corps is one of 125 centers across the country. A unique national program, Job Corps provides a safe, residential environment for at-risk youth ages 16-24 to learn career trades or pursue further education. Job Corps gives hope to about 60,000 young people each year, many of whom get little support or encouragement to complete traditional academic programs.
Without Job Corps, many of these young people would be high school dropouts, unprepared for the workforce and reliant on government subsidies. Instead, they receive hands-on training and life skills they need to be successful and financially independent. About 86 percent of Job Corps graduates across the country go on to find and keep jobs, pursue higher education or enlist in the military.
Job Corps is also an important economic engine. Nationally, the average Job Corps center supports 228 local jobs. For every dollar invested in the program, almost $2 is returned to the local economy. In addition, Job Corps students and staff also spend thousands of volunteer hours on community service, including infrastructure projects and helping our neighbors in times of distress.
Local employers that partner with Job Corps receive significant benefits: employer tax incentives; low-cost labor through internships; the freedom from costs of expensive staffing agencies; the ability to help develop customized training; and the chance to teach students how to adapt to specific workplace expectations.
A high-performing Job Corps center like ours is also attractive to employers looking for a new community to call home, because it signals that potential employees have had additional opportunities to develop their skills and working maturity. They know Job Corps is a quality education and career-development program that trains industry-certified employees ready to get to work on day one.
I am most proud of the students who have left our center and continue to thrive in the working world. One student recently commented to a group of community leaders, “Job Corps not only saved my life, but it also saved my future.” It makes me realize the important work we are doing and must continue to do.
Students will continue to be successful at Glenmont Job Corps because of its unique public-private partnership. A key to this relationship is the ongoing support of business leaders and government officials, including our congressional and senatorial delegation as well as the support from state, county and local officials. Thank you for this much-needed vote of confidence for our program.
Glenmont Job Corps Academy looks forward to continuing our relationships building with elected officials, community leaders and businesses. We welcome new partners to our Center to hear more about the wonderful work we are doing with youth and to become more involved. We want to ensure that in 2012 and beyond, “Job Corps Works.”
