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Blue Ridge Job Corps director urges local outreach after sudden federal shutdown disrupted center operations
Summary
Blue Ridge Job Corps outreach manager described a sudden national shutdown order that forced centers to close and urged Smyth County leaders to help recruit students; the Marion center currently enrolls about 34—to—35 students and lost some programs (LPN) during the disruption.
Heather Goodpasture, outreach and admissions manager for Blue Ridge Job Corps in Marion, told the board the program is a free, residential career-and-training option for 16——24-year-olds funded through WIOA and that the national office gave centers just days to vacate during a recent directive. The center's national parent organization later sought an injunction to pause closures, and the Marion center has been operating under successive extensions ever since.
"When the shutdown was announced, we had students that had come here from even different countries to go into the LPN program that we offered, and it was shuttered," Goodpasture said, describing displaced students and the limbo the center has faced. She told supervisors the local center currently enrolls about 34——35 students and needs rapid increases in enrollment to meet federal timelines.
Goodpasture asked county leaders to help with outreach and recruitment; the center has limited advertising resources and is pursuing postcard mailers, local media interviews, and school visits. Board members suggested partnerships with community colleges for clinical programs and remote bridging for cybersecurity training and urged the county to publicize the program locally so residents understand its offerings and the fact that training can lead to national certifications, apprenticeships, or further education.
Why it matters: the center provides trade and health-care training (CMA, PCT, medical administrative assistant; LPN previously offered) and the shutdown disrupted students, staff and local workforce pipelines. Restoring enrollment will determine whether the center retains programs and local benefits (jobs, downtown spending and certifications).
What's next: the Job Corps outreach team will provide literature and requested support; supervisors agreed to help amplify recruitment and to explore referral pathways through local high schools and community colleges.
