On April 26, 2017, Angell, Centennial, Flatwoods, Fort Simcoe, Harpers Ferry, Pine Ridge, Schenck, Trapper Creek, and Wolf Creek JCCCCs were honored for excelling as “top 50” Job Corps Centers, based on the annual Department of Labor Center performance report which ranks 125 Centers nationwide, during the annual National Directors’ Honor Awards Ceremony.

“This is a huge increase over the past two years, and if the CCCs stay on their current trajectory, the Forest Service JCCCCs will even top this number in the coming year,” said Acting National Director Bill Helin.

Twenty-six Forest Service JCCCCs prepare economically disadvantaged youth, ranging in age from 16 to 24, for productive employment, empowering young Americans while investing in conservation work that preserves the value of our nation’s natural resources.

“Center performance is a key indicator of success,” said Helin. “Better performance predicts greater student education and vocational training achievements and in higher job placement rates. 

Centennial Job Corps Center was honored as “Center of the Year,” in recognition of its rating as the sixth highest ranking center in the nation and for its collaboration with the Boise National Forest to establish an advanced wildland firefighter trade in March 2017 that focuses on the firefighting skills appropriate for western states. Centennial’s fire program also prepares Job Corps students to meet the prerequisite training requirements necessary for admission to the Wildland Firefighter Apprenticeship Program. The Job Corps National Office also honored partners and employees for their achievements in 14 additional categories at the awards ceremony

JCCCC students conduct work that enhances wildlife habitat, revitalizes wildfire-damaged landscapes and restores watersheds, facilities, trails and bridges on the nation’s public lands. Forest Service Job Corps Centers provide leading-edge vocational training and pathways out of poverty to underserved youth, directly supporting the agency’s goals of delivering benefits to the public, sustaining our nation’s forests and grasslands and excelling as a high-performing agency.

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