DOROTHYE TURMAN, acting director of the Detroit Job Corps Center, with one of the graduates. – Eric hobson photos.
With pomp and circumstance, the winter graduates of the Detroit Job Corps Center, a program of the U.S. Department of Labor, marched Feb. 14 into the Wilma R. Martin Recreation Center in Detroit to receive their diplomas for excelling in certified nursing assistance, office administration, computer service technician, facility maintenance, Homeland Security and network cable installation.
The ceremony, which was facilitated by Joan Scales, community and business liaison for the Job Corps Center, was attended by dignitaries as well as friends and family members of the graduates.
The keynote speaker was Bankole Thompson, editor of the Michigan Chronicle.
The center remains an important legacy program that goes back to when President Lyndon Johnson created the Employment Opportunity Act in 1964.
Since then the Job Corps program has remained one of the largest and most successful federally funded programs under the U.S. Department of Labor, preparing students in the last fifty years with the latest hands-on training on the fastest growing jobs.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the program and to date it has trained more than 3 million youth across the nation.
With 124 centers across the country, the Detroit program is ranked among the top in the nation and has “been a part of the city of Detroit’s history for over 30 years. Our program is committed to improving the lives of all young adults who strive for self-improvement through academic and career technical training, allowing for increased earning potential as well as the opportunity to broaden their educational horizons.”
Dorothye Turman is the center’s interim director.
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