Joliet Job Corps marks 35th year

JOLIET – A lot has changed since Joliet Job Corps got its start 35 years ago.

In the beginning, the Joliet facility – which is now among 125 federally funded youth employment training centers in the country – was modeled after the Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps for young people out of work, said Jan Larsen, business community liaison for the long-standing program.

Unemployed individuals were provided a paying job, along with basic room and board, but they didn’t receive training in any particular skills to further their careers, she said.

The U.S. Department of Labor program’s mission has changed drastically since then, she said, noting a shift in focus toward professionalism, career training and academics.

“Now, I would say our No. 1 thing is employability,” Larsen said. “If you show up late or disrespect people, you’re not going to last.”

While this is the 35th year for Joliet Job Corps, 2014 marks the 50th anniversary for the federal program. Job Corps was created in 1964 as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty.”

Housed at the former Joliet East High School, the local program today provides job training for low-income young men and woman ages 16 to 24, often live-ins. To ensure chances for success, the approximately 300 students enrolled are subject to regular drug testing and strict curfews. New students who test positive for drugs have a 45-day window to get clean, she said.

Some who enroll in the self-paced program are without a high school diploma or GED and must work toward either goal. Others are military-bound or considering careers in today’s high-demand markets, Larsen said.

Disrespect and tardiness are two things not tolerated at Job Corps, nor with students enrolled in the program’s Security/Military Career Preparation course that began in 2007.

The class is for military-bound teens and young adults or those planning a career as a security officer, said instructor Charles Betts, a retired U.S. Army master sergeant and former Illinois Department of Corrections shift commander.

“When kids come in, if you sit them down and form a relationship with them, they will learn to respect themselves and to respect those around them,” Betts said. “You work with them and they come around. Once a rapport develops, then comes the respect.”

Monday was the first day of class for Micaiah Mondy.

Dressed in khakis and a blue T-shirt, the 23-year-old from Steger practiced marching drills with a dozen other students.

Mondy said he moved around a lot as a child and was home-schooled by his mother alongside five siblings. He joined Joliet Job Corps in October.

“I never finished high school,” he said. “My mother tried to school all of us, and it was hard.”

Mondy said he has a passion for the military and wants to work toward his GED or high school diploma while enrolled.

Megan Lingier of Romeoville is one example of a success story. The 24-year-old graduated as valedictorian from the Job Corps’ pharmacy technician program earlier this year.

Lingier was on hand Monday to tutor current pharmacy tech students. Next year, she will be working her way through a Job Corps advanced training program in Iowa to become a licensed practical nurse.

Her 4-year-old son is the single mother’s main motivation.

“I want to make sure that I’m able to provide for him,” Lingier said. “He calls me super mommy.”