A Northlands staff member told Seven Days that students and employees are ecstatic about the judge’s decision. The center’s director, Mike Dooley, said he was not allowed to comment, instead directing Seven Days to the U.S. Department of Labor, which originally ordered the centers to shut down.
“The Department of Labor is working closely with the Department of Justice to evaluate the injunction,” an agency spokesperson said in an email. “We remain confident that our actions are consistent with the law.”
The federally funded Northlands Job Corps Center provides free vocational training programs for young adults between the ages of 16 to 24 and is one of around 100 across the country. In late May, the Department of Labor surprised the centers by saying they must close by the end of June. The department said the program operated at a $140 million deficit in 2024 and is “no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve.”
Northlands Job Corps Center in Vergennes to Close
Northlands Job Corps Center in Vergennes to Close
By Sam Hartnett
Economy
Advocates across the country voiced support for Job Corps programs, which since 1964 have provided housing and helped underprivileged youths get training for jobs that were otherwise inaccessible to them.
Earlier this month, Education & Training Resources, the private contractor that runs Northlands, filed a temporary restraining order alongside other contractors to stop the termination. The restraining order was granted, and on Wednesday, a federal judge allowed Job Corps to stay open while the litigation continues.
U.S. Sens. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also joined 39 senators in sending a letter to the Department of Labor, urging the agency to continue the program.
Because the program was created and funded by Congress, the department “is not free to do as it pleases” and doesn’t have the power to shut down the programs unilaterally, U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Carter wrote in his ruling.
The judge also noted the importance of Job Corps to its students, including one of the plaintiffs in the case, who was homeless.
“Job Corps provides basic necessities such as food and shelter along with resources for them to complete their high school education,” Judge Carter wrote.
The National Job Corps Association praised the judge’s preliminary injunction, saying it “is a lifeline for the tens of thousands of young people whose futures depend on the training, support and opportunities that Job Corps provides.”