CALLICOON – The Delaware Valley Job Corps, along with 98 other Job Corps centers across the country, will continue to operate after the Trump administration rescinded its plan to shut them down.

Sen. Charles Schumer announced in a press release on Friday that a new federal settlement agreement between Job Corps and the Trump administration includes protections against the closing of Job Corps campuses and stopping of operations, among other provisions.

“Today, I’m proud to announce that the administration has officially backed off its ill-conceived plan to close one of America’s largest workforce training programs,” said Schumer.

The center, which was opened in 1979 in Callicoon, faced closure in June of 2025 after the Trump administration said a review by the Department of Labor, which oversees Job Corps centers, found the program was costly and had a low success rate.

Job Corps is a free, nationwide federal education and career training program for low-income young adults ages 16 through 24. The Delaware Valley campus, located in Callicoon, serves approximately 177 students and employs 101 staff.

The Trump administration cited the DOL report in its decision to end funding for Job Corps centers in 2025; the report is from 2023 and states that the graduation rate nationally is 32 percent, and the average cost per student is over $80,000.

However, the National Job Corps Association challenged the report, saying it didn’t adequately account for the effects of Covid-era restrictions.

Schumer praised the work of Job Corps centers and programming, saying they help train tens of thousands of students across America each year.

“Saving Job Corps is a win-win-win because students get the skills they need to get a good job, small businesses get the trained workforce they need to grow, and upstate communities get a boost to their economies,” he said.

Earlier this year, the Fiscal Year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education funding bill rejected Trump’s call to eliminate Job Corps and instead provides $1.76 billion in federal funding to keep them open and includes language to protect against efforts to shut down specific centers.

Schumer said Job Corps centers have helped millions of young people ages 16 to 24 finish high school, learn technical skills, and get jobs in in-demand fields such as healthcare and construction.