Riverton Job Corps Students, Staff Protest Putting Program On ‘Pause’

RIVERTON — Put on “pause” as a result of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), students and staff at the Wind River Job Corps protested outside their Riverton offices Wednesday.

Along with 98 other contracted Job Corps facilities in the nation, the Wind River Job Corps program has been given until June 30 to shut down by the U.S. Department of Labor, according to school administrators. Programs are grinding to a halt, and students are being sent home. 

The future of the Job Corps in Riverton is uncertain as Congress considers whether to continue to fund the program. DOGE has recommended ending the program and stopping all funding, including what has already been approved, staff said.

Job Corps was budgeted more than $1.7 billion in 2024, but that’s been slashed to about $35 million in the “Big Beautiful Bill” recently passed by the U.S. House.

Wyoming Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman voted for the budget bill, but has expressed support for Wyoming’s Job Corps program in the past.

“It’s wonderful to see the practical training that you provide and the life-changing programs you offer,” she said about the program after a July 2024 visit.

The budget bill has moved to the Senate for consideration. Like Hageman, Wyoming senior Sen. John Barrasso also has historically been supportive of Wind River Job Corps, and was the keynote speaker at its August 2023 graduation.

More than 100 students, employees and supporters picketed outside of Job Corps on Wednesday, chanting “Save our Job Corps!” and waving signs that read, “Keep Opportunity Alive.” They are hopeful the program could be saved if the Senate Appropriations Committee decides to restore funding.

Moving Quickly To Move The Students

Jerri Prejean, the community liaison for Wind River Job Corps, was at the protest to support who she calls her “kids” and show them that they were not alone. 

The staff received notice Thursday that the program is “on pause” effective immediately and students are to be sent away by the end of the month. Program leaders are scrambling to place students in jobs as quickly as they can.

“Our doors are closing on June 30, but we still have several students that we have been trying to get placed,” she said. “We had over 200 students, and we have been in dire straits trying to figure out where these students are going to go.”

To qualify for Job Corps, participants have to meet a federal poverty standard. Many of the students come from poor home situations, Prejean said, and program administrators want to get them into jobs or colleges so they don’t have to return to those conditions. 

“We are working very closely with Workforce Services and with Central Wyoming College to try and find placement for our students,” Prejean said.  “We are making the necessary connections so we can try to make sure all of our students go somewhere safely.”

The National Job Corps Association filed a temporary restraining order on the federal cuts, but Prejean said that she doesn’t know if that will allow for the program to resume operations. She said the success rate of the Wyoming program is a strong reason for Congress to continue funding it. 

“Wind River Job Corps has a 75% completion rate for graduates, and of those 75%, 85% are placed in a job trade match,” Prejean said. “Colleges don't even have those kind of numbers.”

As cars and semis passed the protestors lining the highway honking horns, Prejean waved and said that she is heartened by the support. 

“All I can say is contact our congressional delegation,” she said. 

The Teenagers Directly Affected

Thomas Christofalos, 18, lives 15 miles away from Job Corps. He was struggling with trying to complete his high school education while homeschooling when he heard about the program on local radio. 

He was accepted and joined the heavy equipment mechanic program. 

His high school graduation was set to happen in two months, but now Christofalos said he’s cramming the rest of his studies into a much shorter timeframe. He had already graduated from the Job Corps trades program and now just needs his diploma to complete the program. 

“I've just been trying to hurry up and get everything done in a week,” he said. “It has been a long week without sleep, and it's only Wednesday.”

For Wyatt McNerny, 17, he is losing more than just his school at Wind River Job Corps, he is also losing his home.

“I was kind of homeless for a little bit there,” McNerny said. “My parents were living up in Gillette when my mom had some medical issues, so they had to move back in with my grandparents in Nevada. I had no address. This was my home. This is this what I call my family.”

McNerny is unable to complete his program, but is hopeful to find a job at an electrical company. He also plans to help his dad do a little flooring as a side hustle. 

“This program has definitely taught me patience and how to deal with others,” McNerny said. “It's given me a better work ethic than I had before.”

Isaac Good, 17, another Job Corps student, said he faces an uncertain future. Despite having another five months of training in heavy equipment mechanics left until he was set to graduate, Good is being fast-tracked to graduate this week. 

“I’ll probably go back home since I don't really have another choice,” Good said. “They kind of threw this up in our faces like nothing's gonna happen, you know?”

Through Job Corps, Good said he has learned how to live with people and how to work. 

“I listen and understand a lot better than just some kid now,” he said. “I've also had a sense of family here, along with all the rest of my peers and friends. You know, it's a lot better of a family than you would think.”

The Uncertain Future

“I have seen tons of successes,” Prejean said. “We've had four graduations a year,and we are graduating between 30 and 40 students each semester.”

She points out that Job Corps has been around for 60 years and had countless success stories over those decades. 

“It's an awesome program,” Christofalos said. “I wanted to do something better than sit in my closet and do high school. I wanted to better myself. This program has definitely done that for me.

“It sucks to see this place go and all the many that affects.”

Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.