Pinellas Job Corps terminated in government shutdown

The United States Department of Labor (DOL) announced Friday that it will “pause operations” at Jobs Corps centers around the country, “initiating an orderly transition for students, staff, and local communities.”

This includes Pinellas County Job Corps, located in St. Petersburg. 

The government-funded Job Corps program provides potentially life-changing opportunities to low-income young people between the ages of 16 and 24, by helping them complete a high school level education and preparing them for vocational jobs. Students can live on the premises during their time at the program. 

Some Pinellas students will have to leave the campus by Friday. The Pinellas program currently shows an enlistment of 260 students; approximately 250 live on campus. Many of these students do not have a home to return to (16% to 20% are estimated to be homeless or unhoused).

A knowledgeable source, who did not wish to be identified, told the Catalyst that the center’s “most vulnerable” students are currently able to stay at the campus until an “appropriate place” is found for them. This decision was communicated by DOL to centers Sunday.

The source explained the Pinellas Job Corps center is organizing students into tiers, to determine who is transferred off campus first. Tier One students have homes and will leave soon. Tier Two students have more challenging circumstances, while Tier Three are the most vulnerable. 

All contractor-operated Job Corps centers nationwide are scheduled to be completely shut down by June 30, per the DOL’s most recent public statement. 

The decision to close centers around the country was based on Job Corps’ 2025 Transparency Report, which showed that only 32% of students graduated from the program nationally. 

At the time when the data was collected, in 2023, Job Corps only had a 34% student capacity level nationwide. It has increased to 76% within two years. 

Currently, the Pinellas center has a 87% capacity level, recruiting new students frequently and is considered one of the highest utilized campuses in the country. 

Chris Coupette, an alumni of the Pinellas County Jobs Corps center, knows firsthand how impactful the program can be. 

“It’s horrible what’s going on,” he said. “Job Corps changed my life completely. I don’t know where life would have taken me. I’d probably be dead or another statistic.” 

Coupette, who spent nearly two years on the campus, said he was able to receive a meaningful education while being introduced to social activities. For him and many others, Job Corps changed everything. 

“Some students, they go back on the streets and we know how that goes,” he added. “This is, I think, a God-sent program to help people who [are] less fortunate.” 

The St. Pete center is run by Team Exceed/ODLE, a partnership between Exceed Corporation and Eckerd Connects. 

Per DOL guidelines, Pinellas County Job Corps administrators and current students were advised not to comment.

Tampa Bay representative Kathy Castor was quick to react: “The Trump Administration’s reckless decision to rip the rug out from under at-risk students is reckless and wrong. Two hundred eighty-five students at the Jobs Corps Center in St. Pete who hail from across the state are being arbitrarily cast out and will struggle to find a safe place to live.  Many students could become homeless.

“For decades, Job Corps has provided a vital pathway to education, job training and self-sufficiency—especially for young people who deserve a second chance.  Trump policies are taking away that second chance.”