New Hampshire students and elected officials are calling on the Trump Administration to reverse its termination of Job Corps, a free education and job training program for young adults.
Isaiah Martino, 22, was one of several who spoke out at a press conference Monday at the Manchester Community College. Martino dropped out of high school with no job and no place to live. In January, he graduated from Job Corps. Martino called the program a second chance at life.
“I now have my high school diploma and driver's license. I am a certified kitchen cook. I have a stable job, an apartment, and a car,” Martino, of Manchester, said. “Before going to Job Corps, these were things that I never imagined that I would achieve.”
A federal judge has temporarily stopped the Trump Administration from eliminating the federally funded program, which has about 120 sites nationwide, including one in Manchester – its only New Hampshire location. Job Corps offers youth ages 16 to 24 high school diploma classes, and training programs in nursing, manufacturing and other in-demand fields.
About 250 students are enrolled in the New Hampshire program, and all but a few live on campus. About 115 people work at the Manchester site.
Daria Martin-Bennitt, 17, graduated from Manchester West High School this weekend, a year early, with one goal: She wanted to complete Job Corps’ electrical training program so she could help her family pay bills.
“I was excited to start to learn a trade and to finally be on a path that made sense for me. Now I feel like that's been taken away from me,” Martin-Bennitt said. “And it's not just me. There are a lot of people like me who don't have many options.”
New Hampshire has not joined the federal lawsuit that paused the program’s termination. A message to the state Attorney General’s Office was not returned.
Executive Councilor John Stephen, whose district includes Manchester, said closing the site is not an option. Stephen stopped short of saying New Hampshire should sign on to the lawsuit, saying that is up to Gov. Kelly Ayotte and Attorney General John Formella.
“These youth are not at risk,” Stephen said. “They are at promise, and we need to all stand behind them.”
But Stephen said he is working with state agencies to support the students and employees.
Jason Bonilla, a member of Manchester’s school board and candidate for city alderman, echoed that Monday.
“This is a time for every elected official, no matter what party they are in New Hampshire, to leverage their platforms and speak out against shutting the doors at Job Corps,” Bonilla said. “This is the time to show action and join the fight with our youth.”
