Devens Job Corps Center, New England's seventh and newest Job Corps campus, opened its doors for the first time November 17.

The Ayer, Massachusetts center, as all other Job Corps campuses, provides job-training, GED classes, housing, and other benefits at no cost to students.

Devens’ campus is designed to serve up to 300 students, of which 272 will live on campus.

Trades offered at Devens include:

English as a second language (ESL) is also available.

One unique aspect of Devens is its partnership with Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC). The Gardner, Massachusetts college is providing instructors for all academic classes as well as some vocational instructors.

Students who attend Job Corps’ newest campus have plenty of opportunities to enjoy their leisure time on campus. Devens’ recreational facilities are impressive, providing:

Campus dorms provide four-person rooms, as well as handicapped-accessible two-person rooms. Recreational areas are featured in each dorm.

New community linkages offer youth next step

Several community based organizations have recently established linkages with New England Job Corps, with the intention of improving the lives of local youth.

The first group of young men and women to benefit from a new linkage between Youthbuild and Job Corps in Maine are currently attending Penobscot Job Corps Center (PJCC) in Bangor.

These students are receiving hands-on job training in construction trades both in the classroom at PJCC and at Youthbuild’s actual job site.

A second Maine-based program, New Beginnings Outreach Program (NBOP), of Lewiston, is currently working on an arrangement to provide continuous office space for a local Job Corps admissions counselor at NBOP’s teen drop-in center.

New Beginnings assists youth, ages 14 to 21, who are in crisis due to unstable living situations, to develop socially and emotionally to build self-respect and lead productive lives.

NBOP’s programming offers: short-term housing with counseling for ages 12 through 17; a transitional living program for older adolescents age 16 to 20; and outreach services providing support and referrals for at-risk youth.

Employers across New England are partnering with Job Corps, matching trained youth with great job opportunities.

Employers participate in Job Corps in many facets of the program, from development of vocational training curriculum to training through school-to-work initiatives, and of course in hiring our students once they complete Job Corps.

If you are an employer interested in learning more about how you could benefit from Job Corps, call us at (617) 565-4930.

We thank all those who have hired our graduates, and extend a special thanks to those who keep coming back for more, such as: