The average Job Corps man is a young person 171⁄2 years old, unmarried, and unemployed but looking for work. Of the nearly 9 percent of the enrollees who had worked, most worked only part time. Half of the enrollees had completed the eighth or ninth grade; over half had a reading level below the sixth grade and two-thirds had an arithmetic achievement below the fifth-grade level. Nearly two-thirds lived in substandard housing and overcrowded living facilities. In nearly 40 percent of the homes from which they came, a parent was seriously ill and the family received financial assistance. In more than 60 percent of the families, the primary wage earner was unemployed. In half the homes, the parents had less than an eighth grade education. The purpose of the Job Corps is to take these young people and train and educate them to become qualified young workers and responsible citizens. The Job Corps screens into its program the very young men and women who are now excluded from other opportunities. The program is reserved for the poor, the socially isolated, and educationally deprived young people of our country. To prepare these young men and women with skills, Job Corps has marshalled the resources of the business community, the universities, the agencies concerned with conserving and developing our natural resources, and other State and Federal organizations, such as the Defense Department and Corps of Engineers, in order to create a unique residential program. Individual tutoring and counseling, both formal and informal, is offered day and night. Staff are available to supervise and help enrollees 24 hours a day and on weekends. Special new instructional materials which allow for individual progress and self-teaching are in use. Modern equipment keeps vocational courses up to date. The men at conservation centers typically spend half of the working day on projects to conserve the area's resources or expand nearby recreational facilities. They build small dams, clear fire paths, build picnic tables, thin forests, clear underbrush, build footbridges, or mark trails. The work experience gained through such activities often attracts young men into vocations involving outdoor work and skills acquired under the supervision of professional staff of conservation agencies. The other half of the day is spent working in the classroom on the crucial job of learning to read and calculate well enough to understand a repair manual, fill out a job application, or pass the Selective Service exam. The educational programs at men's and women's training centers differ from those at conservation centers, particularly in the type and intensity of the vocational training program. Men in training centers are engaged full time in the work of learning a trade and in basic education programs. After a period of exposure to a variety of vocational possibilities, they choose a course of training fitting their interests and aptitudes. Those who choose auto mechanics begin by learning to perform the simpler service jobs and progress to the repair of more complex parts. Progress from the simple to the complex is also true of those who choose radio and TV repair, office work, selling, culinary arts, metalworking, or data processing. Remedial courses in basic subjects are also available. Women in training centers receive vocational training in clerical skills, retailing, food preparation, child care, health care, recreation, education, and industrial electronics. Added to this is training to prepare girls to raise children and manage a home. All of this is combined with work to improve reading, math, and other basic skills. An enrollee graduates from the Job Corps whenever he is ready for placement in a job or for more advanced training outside the program. This may be within months of entrance or after 2 years, depending on the type of training chosen and individual progress. A graduate leaves the program with a detailed record of accomplishment and qualifications—a record of success. The Job Corps is seeking the aid of all organizations, public and private, in placing its graduates. The business community has volunteered assistance. More than a dozen major companies, including major automotive manufacturers, two of the Nation's largest retail sales chains, and several nationwide franchising organizations are interested in hiring Job Corps graduates. Businessmen's councils, in cooperation with Job Corps centers, are being set up along the lines of veterans' councils, which were successful in getting jobs for veterans following World War II. Placement facilities of State employment services and youth opportunity centers will be used. Most graduates are expected to get jobs; however, many will choose other opportunities. Some will volunteer for the armed services or for the Peace Corps; some will return to school or go on to college; others will join the staff of the Job Corps or of community action programs. All who graduate will be qualified for a meaningful next step out of poverty. Program and performance for fiscal year 1965 Since October 1964, a widely dispersed residential, educational, and job training system-a system without parallel in American education-has been organized and established. More than 10,000 young men and women had participated in Job Corps training programs by the end of June. They had come from every State to live in 36 conservation centers, 1 of which was a State-related center, 7 men's centers, and 5 women's centers which had been opened by that time. In addition, construction was almost completed or underway on 53 conservation centers and 1 men's center to bring the total number of Job Corps centers to 102. Less than 5 months before the end of the fiscal year, on February 6, 1965, the Job Corps had opened its first conservation center, Camp Catoctin in Maryland, with its first 30 enrollees. The first men's urban training center, at Camp Kilmer, was activiated February 11, 1965, and the first women's urban training center on April 6, 1965, in St. Petersburg, Fla. In the 4 months preceding these openings, the Job Corps headquarters was organized in Washington, center staffs were recruited and trained, a campaign to recruit enrollees was launched and a nationwide screening network enlisted plans for the operation of conservation centers by the Departments of Agricul ture and the Interior were forged, construction of centers was begun, and contracts to operate men's and women's training centers were negotiated with a variety of qualified organizations. Specialists trained in areas of program development were brought together to create a unique curriculum of the population that Job Corps was designed to reach. Reading and language skills specialists and persons trained in new teaching methods in mathematics, health, safety, and recreation spent months building and writing curriculum materials. Manuals for counselors, teachers, and administrators were developed. Tests and measurement specialists along with sociologists and behaviorial psychologists concerned themselves with the design of a system to measure the performance of corpsmen and their achievement in comparison to youth in other programs, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum. Throughout the year, interest in the Job Corps on the part of young people throughout the country continued to increase. By April, 152,010 men and women, age 16 to 21, had expressed their interest by writing to Job Corps headquarters; by the latter part of June this number had climbed to 228,609. Program for fiscal year 1966 Fiscal year 1966 will be one in which the physical capacity for 31,000 enrollees programed in 1965 is translated into operation. Fiscal year 1966 will be one of increasing emphasis on operations and consolidation of the program with less emphasis on capital investment. Plans for additional capacity provide spaces for an additional 19,000 enrollees to bring the total number of enrollee spaces to 50,000. By the end of June 1966, 121 centers will be constructed, including 95 conservation centers, 13 men's centers, and 13 women's centers. During the course of the fiscal year 1966, some 68,000 youths will have participated in the Job Corps program. Thousands will have graduated; others will have resigned or will have been discharged before graduating. Justification of estimate The amount requested for the Job Corps in fiscal year 1966 is $235 millionan increase of $52,026,400 over fiscal year 1965. Center readiness The additional capacity for 19,000 enrollees in fiscal year 1966 will be achieved by enlarging capacity at 15 centers and by adding 19 new training centers. The estimate for center readiness is $54,352,000. This amount also includes costs of acquisition and installation of training and work project equipment. Conservation centers.-Six new conservation centers will be constructed in fiscal year 1966, and 15 others will be enlarged from 100-man centers to 200-man centers. Capacity will be increased by 3,100 enrollees at an estimated cost of $9,980,000 for construction and equipment. An amount of $17,071,000 is needed to complete construction of centers started in 1965. Special efforts have been made to identify opportunities for expanding existing centers, since the cost per enrollee of this method of enlarging capacity is lower than the cost per enrollee of new construction. Some of the new conservation centers will be operated by States and will utilize existing Federal or State properties, a fact which will reduce the capital investment costs of the Federal Government. Men's centers.-Five men's centers will be added in fiscal year 1966. Total expansion in capacity will be 12,356 at an estimated cost of $17,334,000; $6,270,000 is needed to complete the construction of centers started in 1965. Men's centers will continue to be located on excess Federal facilities. The Job Corps continuously reviews and inspects potentially usable Federal facilities. Women's centers.-Eight new women's centers with capacity for 3,504 enrollees will be added in fiscal year 1966 at an estimated cost of $3,697,000 for minimum rehabilitation and equipment. An average of 4,800 enrollees per month will enter the Job Corps during fiscal year 1966 to replace those who have graduated or left the program and to fill newly created spaces. The operating expenses incurred in training these enrollees will be a combination of on-going costs and startup costs. Enrollee recruitment, selection, and placement Because larger number of enrollees will be screened for the new spaces created, the budget for screening is estimated to be $6,780,000. This includes preliminary interviews and testing, records checks, medical examinations, referrals to appropriate agencies for those not enrolling in Job Corps, and preliminary counseling with Job Corps applicants. Preliminary plans for placement functions which were developed in 1965 will be acted upon in 1966. Funds for placement will be used to produce materials for direct solicitation of business and industry, to process and respond to inquiries from prospective employers, to provide a system for monitoring and keeping records on results in placement. The amount for these purposes is estimated to be $720,000. The total cost of recruitment, screening, and placement is $7,500,000, compared to $4,083,182 in 1965. Enrollee allowances and travel The combined cost of enrollee allowances and travel and disbursement services for 1966 is $40,604,000. One reason for the increase over 1965 is that many enrollees will be training in centers for the entire year rather than a few months as in 1965. A second reason is attributable to an increase in the number of enrollees assisted from approximately 12,000 in 1965 to 68,000 in 1966. The estimated cost for enrollee travel is $9 million. This includes trips for new enrollees, transfers from conservation centers to urban centers, emergency leaves, resignations, and discharges. As authorized by the legislation, enrollees receive a minimum of $30 per month living allowance and a $50 readjustment allowance payable in installments after termination to Job Corps. Provision is made for matching allotments to eligible dependents of Job Corps enrollees. The cost will total approximately $31,604,000 including reimbursement of about $700,000 to the Army Finance Center for acting as fiscal agent. Center operation The funds requested in 1966 for operating Job Corps centers are as follows: Conservation centers_. Men's centers___. $67, 720, 000 41,785,000 7,938, 000 The estimate for conservation center operations includes the following items: center staff, administration, maintenance and operation, subsistence, morale, recreation and welfare, educational and vocational supplies, vehicle and equipment operation, medical and dental services, clothing, and work project supplies. This estimate incorporates the high startup costs associated with stocking centers up to starting levels of supplies for subsistence, medical. educational, recreational, and other purposes which will continue in 1966. Based on experience tables of the conservation agencies, it is estimated that $17,607,000 will be required for materials and supplies to accomplish work projects performed by Job Corps enrollees in conservation areas which increase the value of our natural resources, The value of improvements in natural resources and recreation facilities accomplished by enrollees in conservation centers is estimated to be $34 million in fiscal year 1966. Enrollees will be working in conservation centers in 35 States in 1966. This budget estimate for the operation of conservation centers provides the staff for work and educational supervision, instruction, counseling and administration of the centers. Experience to date has indicated that a larger number of staff in each center than last year is required for adequate around-the-clock supervision of not only educational and vocational functions but of extracurricular and recreational activities. Research studies and comparisons of Job Corps with residential training schools and similar institutions indicate that the Job Corps staffing patterns have a more economical ratio of staff to corpsmen than all but one of the institutions studied. The total number of staff required in 1966 is estimated to be 3,872. During fiscal year 1965, contracts were negotiated for eight men's centers and five women's centers. Plans in 1966 call for contract to be negotiated for five additional men's centers and eight additional women's centers. The original contract periods for those contracts negotiated in 1965 extended through fiscal year 1966 or longer. Because these contracts were fully funded, funds requested for 1966 for men's and women's centers show a decrease from the $98,240,142 in 1965 to $49,723,000. The amounts requested in 1966, $41,785,000 for men's centers and $7,938,000 for women's centers, include costs for center staff, administration, maintenance and operation, subsistence, morale, recreation and welfare, educational and vocational supplies, vehicle operation and equipment, medical and dental services, and clothing. Program development and support The effectiveness of the Job Corps program will be determined by the appropriateness of the educational and vocational training curriculum, the validity of the diagnostic testing and counseling program, and the devices and methods used to evaluate, update and revise the program. Budgeted funds for continuous development and revision of existing curriculum, for broadening curriculums in areas of language skills and job orientation, and for data processing costs and research and evaluation projects for all of Job Corps total $4,775,000, compared to $2,994,676 in 1965. Staff recruitment and training Staff selection and training will require modest increases over fiscal year 1965 because of the necessity to continue the preservice training program for conservation centers that are scheduled to open in fiscal year 1966 and to augment the inservice training program for staff as they work in the centers. Summer institutes are also planned to handle short courses for special groups of staff. Funds for fiscal year 1966 total $1,280,000, compared to $888,896 in 1965. Program direction The estimate for fiscal year 1966 is $9,046,000, an increase of $5,500,402. The increase over 1965 provides for the annualization of staff travel and support costs in the Washington headquarters and for the establishment of regional offices. Program direction costs are equal to 3.85 percent of the total Job Corps in 1966 program funds. Job Corps Headquarters and regional offices.-Personal services in the Washinghon office of Job Corps will total $3,328,000. Of this amount $2,414,000 will be required for the annualization of the present staff and $914,000 will be required for planned staff increase. The cost of personal services in regional offices is estimated to total $1,403,000 which will be incurred with the gradual staffing of new positions and the employment of some nonpermanent personnel. Four hundred and sixty-seven permanent positions are requested for fiscal year 1966 compared to 345 in 1965. Of this number 281 will be in the Washington office and 186 in the regional offices. Conservation agencies.-Personal services in the conservation agencies will total $3,515,000, an increase of $1,966,394, which is accounted for by the salary annualization of the present personnel positions which number 309. Travel costs for the Washington headquarters and the regional offices is estimated to total $500,000. One of the major purposes of the travel will be periodic visits to monitor operations of Job Corps centers. |