President Donald Trump's fiscal year 2027 budget proposal, released on 3 April, includes the full elimination of Job Corps — a federally funded programme that has provided free education and vocational training to low-income young Americans since 1964. The blueprint proposes cutting at least $2.4 billion (approximately £1.81 billion) from the Department of Labour, including the elimination of Job Corps.
Since President Lyndon B Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act into law on 20 August 1964, Job Corps has trained more than 3 million income-eligible young people aged 16 to 24, serving 50,000 students annually at more than 120 centres across the United States. The programme offers participants vocational skills, from welding and carpentry to culinary arts and healthcare, as well as housing, medical care, and a basic living stipend while they train.
