CLEARFIELD, Utah — Days after the Job Corps campus in Clearfield announced it was among those closing after the Department of Labor paused nationwide operations, many are wondering what's next for its students.
“Some of them don’t have things that they can go back to, and we’ve got to set them up for the future because they can’t go back to the past," said Job Corps safety officer and military liaison Dave Olson.
Seventeen-year-old Rylee Wilhelm shared how she has changed since she became a Job Corps student less than a year ago.
“I was given two options, either boot camp or job corps,” Wilhelm explained.
She admitted that she was struggling to stay in school, and life at home was rocky.
“It wasn’t a very good situationship at home," she said. "I decided to come to Job Corps to change my life for the better.”
Devastation felt after Clearfield Job Corps center announces closure:
Wilhelm had dreams of becoming a diesel mechanic, but now, that dream is starting to feel farther away than ever.
“Right now, I’m kinda lost and confused. There’s a lot of people on campus that just don’t have anywhere to go, they’ll be going to homeless shelters, or they’ll be going back to toxic families and toxic relationships.”
Olson has been making calls nonstop to help those like Wilhelm.
“I’m absolutely a lot more on the phone with my recruiters,” he explained.
He says he and other staff members have been working to connect their students with dealerships, construction companies, and the military.
“This process is going to be more time sensitive, rushed, there’s a little more urgency now,” he shared.
Drew Moses was 10 months away from completing his automotive program when he heard the news.
“You know, a lot of people don’t find their purpose in life until they hit rock bottom and they have to get it," Moses said. "That’s what it is for all of us right now. We’re at the bottom and now it’s time to get after it.”
