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2/25/08 Job Corps Center Groundbreaking with an
Opening of Summer 2009
On Thursday March 21,
2008, Mayor Rick Baker and Pinellas County Chairman Robert Stewart ushered
in a new era of opportunity for St. Petersburg. Eight years in the making,
the Groundbreaking Ceremony of the new Job Corps Center was held located in
St. Petersburg’s Dome Industrial Park of Midtown.
Opening remarks were
provided by Esther Johnson, National Director of Job Corps, joined by
national leaders such as U.S. Secretary of Labor, the honorable Elaine Chao
and Congressman C.W. Bill Young. Congressman Young expressed, “Young
Americans need to be prepared to compete in an ever increasing competitive
world and the Job Corps program fulfills that need.”
The Job Corps Center will train students in computer repair, construction, health care and
mechanical repair, as well as high school and GED programs. The
eight-building campus will include vocational education facilities, a
recreation center, gymnasium, administrative offices, a student service
center, and two dormitories. It will be one of five centers in the state of
Florida and the 123rd for the U.S. Department of Labor. The center will
provide an invigorating economic boost to the city’s economy with $40
million construction investment.
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The
center will provide 300+ students per semester in the county the
opportunity to learn the skills necessary to grow and lead a successful
life.
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The
center will provide local employers with a targeted skilled workforce.
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100+
full-time employment positions in staff and faculty will be available at
the corps center when completed.
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Once
established, the center will be a $7 million annual revenue generator for
the city and county.
Job Corps is a
program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor and provides career
technical training and education to income-eligible students ages 16-24 and
currently administers 122 centers in 48 states and services more than
60,000 students annually. For more information about Job Corps, call
800-733-JOBS or visit www.jobcorps.dol.gov.
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