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Administration’s Budget Proposes Increased Funds for Job Corps Training Efforts
 Close ties to the housing industry and a continued record of success helped Job Corps fare well in the Administration’s $2.4 trillion budget request released on Feb. 2. The program was singled out for a significant increase within the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) — $20 million over last year’s request — for a total of $1.56 billion.
Home Builders Institute (HBI), the workforce development arm of NAHB, is the largest training contractor in Job Corps, placing more than 2,000 young people — a full 90% of its graduates — in industry jobs each year. This year marks the 30th anniversary since the department awarded its first Job Corps training contract to HBI.
ETA’s Reintegration of Young Offenders program would be rolled into the Prisoner Re-entry Initiative, a new interagency program that would involve the Departments of Labor, Justice and HUD. The Labor Department would receive $90 million, while the other two departments would share $25 million.
The Young Offender program received $50 million in FY 2004 and funds HBI’s Project CRAFT/Nashville through year’s end. Embodying what the Administration hopes to achieve through its new interagency proposal, under the Nashville project HBI works in partnership with the Davidson County Drug Court — which is funded by the Department of Justice — and with HUD’s Metropolitan Development Housing Authority.
Another new effort, the Community College Initiative would receive $250 million to be awarded to improve "partnerships between the workforce investment system and community colleges to train workers for high-growth jobs" and for industries with demonstrated labor shortages.
The Workforce Investment Act's (WIA) Adult, Dislocated Worker and Employment Service funding streams would be consolidated into one adult block grant of more than $3.2 billion. Dislocated Workers would be funded at the FY 2004 requested level.
Youth Activities would also receive level funding, at $1 billion, with funds for Youth Opportunity grants being zeroed out. Continuing to work on minimizing duplicative efforts between the Departments of Education and Labor, the Administration has proposed targeting DOL formula and national grants to out-of-school youth programs that have been shown to be effective.
Funding for the Office of Apprenticeship Training, Employer and Labor Services (ATELS) — which processes apprenticeship program applications, and along with state apprenticeship councils registers new applications that meet federal standards — is level funded at $21 million. HBI has worked with ATELS and holds pattern standards to help HBAs establish apprenticeship programs in residential carpentry and facilities maintenance.
For information, e-mail Maria McIntyre at HBI or call her at 800-795-7955 x8912 or e-mail Jenna Morgan Hamilton in NAHB's Legislative and Political Relations or call 800-368-5242 x8407.
Photo by Maria McIntyre
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