Edna Primrose named new national director of US Labor Departments Job Corps by Secretary Hilda L. Solis

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis has appointed Edna Primrose, workforce investment veteran and former director of the Job Corps center in Woodland, Md., as the new national director of Job Corps.

"Edna Primrose will bring to this position not only a wealth of knowledge about the history of the Job Corps program and how it works, but hands-on experience with students whose lives have been enriched by Job Corps," Secretary Solis said.

"I am deeply honored that Secretary Solis has selected me to lead the Job Corps program," Primrose said. "Job Corps has a rich history of success, and I look forward to moving our program forward."

Primrose began her career with the International Union of Operating Engineers in 1984, heading that organization's Job Corps Training Program as its national director from 1997 to 2000. In 2002, she joined the national office of Job Corps as its chief performance officer, overseeing Job Corps performance and assessment, establishing benchmarks and measurement systems, and developing an infrastructure to comply with the Workforce Investment Act and the Common Measures program. Additionally, she oversaw the program s safety and health initiatives, chaired various national workgroups and coordinated with various federal, state, labor and community organizations.

From 2003 to 2007, Primrose served as deputy center director of the Woodstock Job Corps Center and center director of the Woodland Job Corps Center, both in Maryland. Most recently, she held corporate policy development positions in private industry. She has a bachelor of arts degree in business administration from Towson University in Towson, Md.

Job Corps is the nation s largest and oldest federally-funded job training and education program for individuals ages 16 through 24. With 123 centers nationwide, the program offers training in more than 75 career areas. For more information about Job Corps, call 800-733-JOBS (5627) or visit http://jobcorps.dol.gov.