Lynch Nomination

Floor Speech

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Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I am pleased to join Senator King in
recognizing the Job Corps program on its 50th anniversary. Job Corps
helps at-risk young people ages 16 through 24 improve the quality of
their lives through vocational and academic training. On August 30,
1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation creating Job
Corps. Today, one-half century later, generations of graduates in Maine
and across America demonstrate why Job Corps has been one of our
Nation's best investments.

Since its founding, more than 2.7 million young people have entered
the Job Corps program with the determination to succeed and have
graduated with the confidence and the skills to do so. The success rate
is extraordinary. Nearly 86 percent of Job Corps graduates find
employment in their fields, go on to higher education or serve our
country in uniform. Job Corps students do not just learn a trade--they
cultivate high aspirations and a commitment to service.

As I travel throughout Maine, I have extensive conversations with
small business owners and workers about the challenges they face. While
there is no doubt that our Nation's unemployment rate remains
unacceptably high, I have met with employers in Maine who have jobs
available but who cannot find qualified and trained workers to fill
these vacant positions.

With two centers in Maine, Job Corps not only helps young people in
our State gain the skills that lead to rewarding careers, but it also
improves their lives, assists employers, and strengthens communities.
The Penobscot Job Corps Academy in Bangor, ME, and the Loring Job Corps
Center in Limestone, ME, have the capability to serve nearly 800 at-
risk youth on a daily basis. Over the past several decades, these two
centers have compiled an impressive record of success in preparing
disadvantaged youth for the workplace or higher education.

The combination of skills, self-confidence, and determination Job
Corps offers can help young people overcome the setbacks, obstacles,
and failures that often are part of life. The focus on community
service at both centers helps to create the involved citizens that are
so important to Maine's future. These centers put these young men and
women on a path to being successful and vital contributing members of
our country.

Job Corps was founded on the noble idea that, if given the
opportunity, the support, and the training, America's young people
could overcome any obstacles and achieve. For 50 years, Job Corps
graduates have turned that idea into reality. I congratulate Job Corps
again on this accomplishment.

Mr. KING. Mr. President, I join the senior Senator from Maine in
congratulating Job Corps on 50 years of service to our country's youth.
Across the Nation, Job Corps provides training and career skills to
economically disadvantaged young adults, helping them attain a high
school diploma or equivalent and career technical training to prepare
them for success in today's job market. This program is extremely
important, giving young people who need a second chance the opportunity
to forge a better career for themselves through hard work and
meaningful study.

The Penobscot Job Corps Center in Bangor, ME, and the Loring Job
Corps Center in Limestone, ME, have consistently proven to be
outstanding assets to our State, helping young Mainers prepare to enter
the workforce or pursue post-secondary education every year. Through a
combination of unique learning experiences, these institutions are
helping the next generation of Maine students work towards stable,
long-term jobs.

In October of 2013 I was proud to congratulate the Penobscot Job
Corps Academy for its certification as a Center of Environmental
Excellence. This distinction recognizes Job Corps campuses that show
leadership in implementing Job Corps' guiding principles for high
performance green buildings. At the time, the Penobscot Job Corps was
one of only two centers in the country to receive this distinction.

This initiative prompted Job Corps facilities across the United
States to not only reduce their environmental impact, but to also teach
their students to live and work sustainably. The skills and knowledge
that students receive from this program will surely help them compete
in an increasingly environmentally focused labor market.

Job Corps centers are an important facet of our workforce development
system and have a proven record of success in preparing disadvantaged
students to obtain and hold a job or pursue opportunities in higher
education. I wish Job Corps another 50 years of success, and I am proud
of the many young people in Maine and across the country who have used
this program to make a better life for themselves.

The contributions of Maine's Job Corps centers simply cannot be
overstated, and I look forward to watching their continued development.

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