The National Job Corps Study (NJCS) found that overall Job Corps had large impacts on key education and training outcomes, with Job Corps participants receiving significantly more hours of training than the control group, and more Job Corps students receiving GEDs and vocational certification.  Despite these positive overall findings, Job Corps did not increase the employment and earnings of Hispanic participants.  The study of Hispanics in Job Corps attempts to find a satisfactory explanation for these results.

The main findings include: (1) No data were available to determine whether language fluency and comfort level in speaking English was an issue between the control and the program group.  (2) The Hispanic program group appeared to move into clerical positions quicker than the control group, as compared to the control group moving into employment as mechanics, machinists, and repairers – all occupations which might pay more than clerical work.  (3) The site visits and LEP/HYS found that programs needed more cultural diversity and bilingual staff in positions such as administration, residential advisors, and academic and vocational instructors.  (4) Hispanic family members were described as both encouraging and discouraging to student program completion, as family members would take on child care duties so the student could attend, or family members put pressure on students to quit the program to find employment to contribute to the family’s income.