U.S. Department of Labor and Louisiana Military Department Partner To Serve At-Risk Youth with Job Corps Demonstration Project

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards today announced a new Job Corps demonstration project to serve at-risk youth with skills instruction through an expansion of the Louisiana National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program. The Louisiana National Guard currently operates three Youth ChalleNGe programs: at Camp Minden, at Camp Beauregard and at the Gillis W. Long Center. The Job ChalleNGe project will be delivered through a repurposed Carville Job Corps Center, which is located adjacent to the Gillis W. Long Youth ChalleNGe facility.

"The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to helping young individuals learn relevant skills for in-demand careers," said Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta. "The ChalleNGe Program will give young men and women a fresh start and an opportunity to become productive members of America's workforce."

"The Louisiana National Guard youth programs have a proven track record of preparing its graduates to meet life's challenges with confidence and perseverance," said Governor John Bel Edwards. "Expanding the program will give many more young people the opportunity to participate, and I'm thankful to the Trump Administration for recognizing the need. Whether they enter college, the workforce or join the military, these men and women will have the knowledge and skills to be successful in life."

"Each year, the Louisiana National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program changes lives. This program helps students build the values and skills they need to succeed in life," said U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. "This support from the Trump administration affirms the President's commitment to encourage each American to become their best self."

"For more than 20 years, the Louisiana National Guard's Youth ChalleNGe program has been helping young people learn occupational skills and build character," said U.S. Senator John Kennedy. "I'm grateful the Trump administration recognizes the potential for investing in the young people of Louisiana. This program is a second chance for our youth and an opportunity to gain valuable skills and experiences."

"We are very excited at the opportunity that the Job Challenge Program presents to the youth of Louisiana. Investing in our youth is an investment in our future," said Louisiana National Guard Adjutant General Glenn H. Curtis.

With a grant from the Department of Labor, Job ChalleNGe will expand and enhance the Youth ChalleNGe program's skills components over a five-month period to eligible participants to set them on a pathway to employment. The program will include the recruitment of Job Corps-eligible youth among Youth ChalleNGe graduates; occupational skills training and credentialing; individualized career and academic counseling; leadership development activities that encourage responsibility, employability, and other positive behaviors; employer engagement; and job placement.

The Louisiana Job ChalleNGe program is intended to serve 200 participants annually, in two cohorts of 100 cadets.