SCHUMER: HANDS OFF UPSTATE NY’S JOB CORPS! STANDING IN ONEONTA WITH SOUTHERN TIER & MOHAWK VALLEY GRADUATES, STAFF & SMALL BUSINESSES STUCK IN LIMBO FOLLOWING TRUMP’S UNWISE ORDER TO SHUT DOWN VERY EFFECTIVE LOCAL JOB TRAINING PROGRAM, SENATOR DEMANDS NY HOUSE REPUBLICANS JOIN HIM TO DELIVER FUNDING TO CONTINUE ONE OF AMERICA’S LARGEST AND BEST JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS

Oneonta Job Corps Center Provides Training To Nearly 300 Students Every Year In Healthcare, Construction, And Other Fields That Need Skilled Workers, But For Months Has Been Stuck In Limbo After Trump Called For All Centers To Close – Despite Longstanding Bipartisan Support 

Schumer Says Shutting Down Job Corps Would Be A Gut Punch To Local Worker-Starved Businesses; Senator Says Senate Successfully Included Funding For Job Corps In A Bipartisan Markup, And Now He Is Calling On The House GOP To Follow Their Lead To Protect This Program 

Schumer: We Must Save Job Corps For Upstate NY’s Students, Small Businesses & Other Local Employers

With the Trump administration attempting to eliminate Job Corps, one of the nation’s largest and most effective workforce training programs, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer stood with Oneonta Job Corps students and staff to lead the fight to keep Job Corps open. Schumer explained that the Trump administration is not only targeting Job Corps centers for closure, but in his recent budget request, Trump said he wants to eliminate funding for the program.

Schumer said that following his push, the Senate Appropriations Committee has passed a bipartisan bill out of committee that protects funding for Job Corps for next year, and now is calling on House Republicans to follow the Senate’s bipartisan lead, and rebuke Trump’s request to eliminate funding and protect this beloved program that helps Upstate NY students get jobs and small businesses succeed.

“Job Corps is one of the best bang-for-your-buck programs we have. Right here in Oneonta, so many young New Yorkers are given a second chance to get the real-world skills they need for in-demand fields like healthcare, construction, and manufacturing all while helping local employers find and hire skilled workers. Taking all of that away would be outrageous,” said Senator Schumer. “It’s cruel and potentially illegal to stop the flow of funding for this program that is authorized and funded by Congress. The courts have already put a pause on these attempts to kill Job Corps, but we cannot rest. That is why I am leading the fight in the Senate to keep the doors open and save Job Corps.”

Schumer continued, “The Senate took bipartisan action by passing a bill out of the appropriations committee that stands up against Trump’s desired cuts, and now House Republicans must follow suit. The Oneonta Job Corps Center is the beating heart of Otsego County. Upstate New Yorkers and local small businesses want to see this program continue, and I will not stop fighting to save it.”

For over 60 years, the Oneonta Job Corps Center in Otsego County has helped nearly 300 young people every year acquire industry-recognized skills that launch them into in-demand careers. This pipeline of job-ready talent is essential for small and mid-sized Upstate NY businesses and other local employers. The center employs approximately 120 staff and creates an estimated economic impact of $23 million on the local Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley regional economies every year.

Schumer explained that if the Oneonta Job Corps Center and centers across the country shut down, all this will grind to a halt. In May, Trump paused operations at Job Corps centers nationwide, sparking widespread bipartisan outcry. If Job Corps were to shut down, it would kick more than a thousand young New Yorkers out of training programs, create mass layoffs of hundreds of workers at Job Corps centers in every corner of the state, and hurt local businesses and other employers in need of skilled workers. Already, the Oneonta Job Corps Center is seeing current enrollment down to 140 students despite being able to accommodate up to 291 due to the chaos caused by Trump.

Since May, a federal judge has temporarily blocked Trump from shutting down Job Corps centers, and another federal judge said operations must resume until the previous case is resolved, but Job Corps employees and students are being left in the lurch and forced to scramble as they are left in limbo. Worse yet, Trump’s FY26 budget proposal would completely eliminate funding for Job Corps centers, effectively killing the program without needing the approval of federal courts. Currently, the Senate’s version of the FY26 appropriations bill continues to fund Job Corps and adds guardrails against the Department of Labor disrupting services provided by Job Corps centers, and the Senator said this critical funding and these provisions must be protected in the final appropriations bill.

Schumer is leading efforts in the Senate to preserve this training program for thousands of New Yorkers and oppose these destructive and potentially illegal actions like the Trump administration's pausing existing funds for the Job Corps centers. Schumer has sent a letter with 39 of his colleagues in the Senate calling on U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer to protect Job Corps and demanding answers on these destructive efforts. A copy of the letter sent by Senator Schumer and his colleagues can be found HERE.

Specifically, the Oneonta Job Corps Center equips students with hands-on training in critical trades such as auto, healthcare, and pre-apprenticeship union trades in electrical, tile, and cement masonry. Oneonta also provides a smart grid advanced electrical program, helping students develop the skills they need to work on overhead lines, underground residential distributions, and smart meter logic controllers. In partnership with Mohawk Valley Community College, the center is training the next generation of drone operators through their unmanned aircraft systems operator program.

Schumer said Job Corps centers have helped millions of young people ages 16 to 24 finish high school, learn technical skills, and get jobs in in-demand fields such as healthcare and construction. Low-income and at-risk young people have received stable housing and healthcare while developing the skills they need to get good-paying jobs after graduation. Across Upstate NY, centers in Albany, Sullivan, Orleans, Otsego, and Chautauqua Counties serve thousands of young New Yorkers and employ over 500 staff.

Schumer was joined by recent Oneonta Job Corps graduates who are now excelling in their careers thanks to the education and support they received at Job Corps, including Jaylynn Garelick, who completed her advanced training program as an LPN along with her base trade as CCMA phlebotomist and EKG tech and now works at Bassett Healthcare, and Joel Pollard who completed his certification in Auto Body/Collision Repair now operates Dent Raptor in Oneonta. 

Congressman Josh Riley said, “Job Corps keeps the promise that if you work hard, you deserve the chance to learn a skill, build a career, and make a good life here in Upstate New York. When Washington tried to shut these centers down, we fought back and won an early battle—and I’m grateful to Senator Schumer for standing with us to keep this program funded and secure.”

Oneonta Job Corps Academy graduate and owner of Dent Raptor Joel Pollard said, “I’m incredibly grateful for the knowledge Job Corps has instilled within me & the opportunities I have been granted to further my career and personal growth. The ability to become a familiar face in my community and a role model that others can look up to has greatly impacted my life. The road isn’t always easy, but if you stay focused, and lead with determination you can become someone they’ll always remember. Let’s stand together as a community and save Job Corps, it changes lives and creates 1000s of hardworking individuals that contribute to our society. “

Oneonta Job Corps Academy graduate Jaylynn Garelick said, “Before Job Corps, I wasn’t sure where my life was headed, but Job Corps gave me more than direction. It gave me belief, belief that I can build a better life for myself, and no person should have that taken away.”

City of Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek said, “Since its creation more than 60 years ago, the Job Corps' foundational goals of education, training, and empowerment have had life altering effect on thousands of young people, as well as on the economy and quality of life in their host communities. I know. I was a member of the Oneonta Job Corps Academy team for 8 years, and in this moment of cruel intent I bear witness to the program's transformational power to make real the American Dream. How dare we abandon it?”

Otsego County Chamber of Commerce President Sean Lewis said, “The Oneonta Job Corps Academy performs miracles on a daily basis. I say that because they take in troubled young adults and positively change their lives. Thayne Bodenmiller, Jocelyn Plows and the entire staff are dedicated to teaching, mentoring, and coaching their students. Graduates leave will good paying jobs, increased self-confidence, and a positive outlook on their futures. Congress should defend the funding of Job Corps as if our children’s lives depended on it. Because they do.”

Mike Beamer, Southern Tier Apprentice Coordinator for BAC Local 3 said, “Simply put, Job Corps works! Most importantly, Job Corps works by lifting people up and providing an opportunity for a chance at a better career!”

Christopher Gillette, General Manager of Wireless Operations at Professional Teleconcepts, LLC. said, “The collaboration between Pro-Tel and Oneonta Job Crops has been truly remarkable. This partnership is a testament to the dedication of both organizations to fostering skilled talent and supporting professional development within our community. The quality of candidates we have received has consistently met and often exceeded our expectations, contributing directly to our operational efficiency and project success.”

SUNY Oneonta President Alberto J. Cardelle said, “Oneonta Job Corps is a crucial component in our region’s educational ecosystem. Our community is strengthened by Job Corps academic and support opportunities for at-risk students, and ultimately a stream of well-prepared job candidates for positions in and around Otsego County. We appreciate Senator Schumer’s commitment to protecting Job Corps mission to prepare young people for successful careers in our community’s most in-need industries.”

“Bassett Healthcare Network works frequently with Oneonta Job Corps Academy as we cooperate to build a pipeline of caregivers building careers in healthcare,” says Staci Thompson, MHA, FACMPE, President & CEO of Bassett Healthcare Network. “In rural healthcare, community partnerships are crucial. This is especially true when it comes to recruitment. Job Corps’ vocational training programs prepare students for diverse career paths. Job Corps students regularly participate in site observations across Bassett’s campuses as they explore opportunities in clinical roles, maintenance and facilities roles, food and nutrition services careers, and more. Many of these students have found their career home with Bassett. We deeply value our relationship with Job Corps and support their critical mission to connect young adults with the skills and education they need to build meaningful careers and healthier communities.”

###