MANHATTAN (KSNT) – The Flint Hills Job Corps center has served Kansas for decades, providing education and job training for disadvantaged youth.
The U.S. Department of labor announced last week, it’s suspending operations at all job corps centers nationwide on June 30. About 180 students live in the Flint Hills, and many have nowhere else to go.
If the center shuts down, it could leave a major gap in workforce development across the state.
“Those students are trying to do exactly what some of our politicians say they want people to do,” Manhattan City Commissioner, Peter Oppelt said. “That is get job training and be a part of the workforce and be independent.”
Advocates say it’s more than just about jobs; it’s about giving young people purpose and opportunity.
Employees say closing would be a huge loss.
“This organization is so important to these young adults,” Residential Advisor, Sarah Thomas, said. “When you look at the numbers of our graduation rate, it doesn’t take into consideration all of the lessons they learn here that don’t apply to a trade or a high school.”
Oppelt has been rallying to support the students. He says it’s not just about this one center.
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It’s about preserving access to these kinds of resources around rural America.
“Job corps has a specific mission, and nobody was going to cover that,” Oppelt said. “So, I really just kind of knew that as a city commissioner, I would be able to have those contacts with people and have that conversation.”
A federal judge has temporarily suspended the order from the U.S. Department of Labor. A hearing has been set in federal court on June 17, which will determine the fate of the program.
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