Iroquois Job Corps looks to get back to pre-Covid levels
Center has capacity for 136 students in building trades, CNAs and certified medical assistants
MEDINA – Dennis Essom, center director of the Iroquois Job Corps on Tibbits Road, has announced the Job Corps has reopened and ready to admit students in brick masonry, carpentry, paint, electrical, certified nursing assistant and certified medical assistant fields.
Iroquois Job Corps is a no-cost education and vocational training provider helping young people ages 16 to 24 improve the quality of their lives by empowering them to get great jobs and become independent, Essom said.
The local Iroquois Job Corps Center has the capacity to serve 136 students. The campus works directly with employers, national and local, to help them fill available positions with high pay. A few of the companies who have recently hired Iroquois Job Corps’ skilled graduates include Aerotek in Cheektowaga, Niagara Protective Coatings in Niagara Falls, St. Ann’s Community in Rochester, Career Start in Buffalo and Rochester, DENT Neurologic Institute in Amherst, Quality Structures in Rochester, and FSR Contracting in Buffalo.
Other recent graduates have enlisted in the United States Army and Navy and are now currently serving in active duty using skills learned while at Job Corps, Essom said.
The Covid-19 pandemic significantly reduced the number of students the Iroquois Job Corps Center has served during the past year and a half, Essom added. Now, with effective vaccines and safety procedures in place, the Iroquois Job Corps Center is ready with its youth training opportunities to welcome new students to their campus.
“We want the community to know that the Iroquois Job Corps Center is an outstanding option for our youth,” Essom said. “Students can also earn a high school diploma or the equivalent and college credits. Job Corps offers tuition-free housing, meals, basic health care, a living allowance and funds to assist with career transition.”
Job Corps also provides transitional support services, such as help finding employment, housing, child care and transportation. Job Corps graduates either enter the workforce or an apprenticeship, go on to higher education or enter the military.
Iroquois Job Corps Center has already demonstrated it is able to provide safe and healthy residential living and serve students effectively despite Covid, Essom continued. The program has procedures and policies in place to track Covid symptoms, test and prevent an outbreak.
“The past two years have been trying for all of us,” said Byron V. Garrett, CEO and president of National Corps Association. “This time has shown us that Job Corps’ dedication to teaching trades to young people has made a big difference, not only in the lives of our students and their families, but in the lives of Americans reliant upon the work Job Corps alumni have been trained to do. Given our availability to immediately serve students, we know the potential for our campuses to transform lives and want everyone to know that Job Corps is reopened and ready to help.”
Anyone wishing more information about student outreach and recruitment can contact Luke Kantor, outreach and admissions manager at the office phone (585) 344-3401, on his cell at (585) 205-3653 or by e-mail at Kantor.Luke@jobcorps.org.
