What Happens in Job Corps?

Quick Links Career Services After Graduation

Life at a Job Corps center can be an exciting and educational experience. A Job Corps center is a great place to complete an education, learn a marketable trade, make lifetime friends and graduate with a good job in hand. Each Job Corps center is unique. They all, however, feature campus-like settings with dormitories where students live.

Student Life Cycle

Job Corps provides its students the guidance and support they need to lead them to long-term employment and success. The student life cycle includes four phases:

1. Outreach and Admissions (OA)
2. Career Preparation Period (CPP)
3. Career Development Period (CDP)
4. Career Transition Period (CTP)

Outreach and Admissions (OA)

Prospective student understands:

• What Job Corps is about;
• How Job Corps can help him/her start a career;
• What learning and working on a Job Corps center will be like;
• What his/her responsibilities will be as a student; and,
• What vocational offerings will be available at his/her chosen center.

Career Preparation Period (CPP):

In the first 60 days with Job Corps:

• Student learns, demonstrates, and practices personal responsibility skills required at the workplace.
• Student learns, demonstrates, and practices job search skills including computer fluency.
• Student and staff create a personal career development plan (PCDP).
• Student and staff commit to the PCDP.
• Student visits and learns about One Stop centers.

Career Development Period (CDP)

With the help of center staff and employers, the student learns, demonstrates and practices industry-related:

• Technical and academic skills
• Interpersonal communication and problem solving skills; and,
• Social and personal management skills.

The student then:

• Begins the job search process; and,
• Prepares for independent living.

Career Transition Period (CTP)

The former student, now a Job Corps graduate:

• Successfully gets his/her first job;
• (With the support of the center and other Job Corps service providers) is able to find living accommodations, transportation and family support resources needed to continue working;
• Continues to contact Job Corps service providers to seek their support, if needed; and,
• Responds to 13-week, 6- and 12-month survey requests.