ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — An education and job training program that aims to help low-income young adults is facing an uncertain future. The U.S. Department of Labor announced it is pausing operations at contractor operated Job Corps centers nationwide, including the center in St. Petersburg.

The department said Job Corps has been in a financial crisis for years. Data from the 2023 Job Corps transparency report said the average graduation rate for traditional students nationwide was 32%. The graduation rate for traditional students at the Pinellas County center was 42.3%.

The labor department also said the decision to pause operations aligns with the president’s 2026 budget proposal to deliver meaningful results for students and taxpayers.

Students at the Pinellas County Job Corps Friday said they don’t want the data to take away a chance for them to have a better future.

“I was facing homelessness. I was out partying like a regular person does. I wasn’t even thinking about CNA or nursing like that,” said Kamaria Jackson, a student resident at Job Corps. “I think this is an awesome program. It changes lives.”

A source close to the program in St. Petersburg said 260 students are enrolled there, and about 150-160 staff. They said, of the 260 students, 16-20% of them are considered homeless or unhoused. The source said the program was working to find places for them to stay Friday night, after being told Thursday they’d be closing up.

“What’s happening is actually a tragedy as far as I’m concerned, particularly the way this is being carried out. I think it’s inhumane and heartless,” said Askia Aquil, the Pinellas County Job Corps Community Relations Council President.

Aquil said for years they’ve worked to plan and redevelop the community around 22nd, including Job Corps.

“You can imagine if this place is closed, mothballed, and you have chain linked fence around it and it’s just sitting here vacant for a year, two years, three years, five years, whatever time it would take to bring some other activity here,” Aquil said.

The source said the Department of Labor sent them an official termination notice Thursday night, ordering them to begin un-enrolling students by June 2, have students off campus by June 6, and that the staff would be laid off in a staggered approach, until June 30.

The department said Job Corps faced significant financial challenges under its current operating structure and said the program is “no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve.”

“If the program needs to be evaluated, if it needs to be scrutinized, if it needs to be reformed, then do that. But do it in a sensible, businesslike, humane manner,” Aquil said.

Students said they don’t know what’s next for their careers and even for their own housing Friday night.

“It’s back to survival mode and that is like going place to place right now,” said Jackson.

A statement from Tampa Bay Representative Kathy Castor read:

“The Trump Administration’s reckless decision to rip the rug out from under at-risk students is reckless and wrong. Two hundred eighty-five students at the Jobs Corps Center in St. Pete who hail from across the state are being arbitrarily cast out and will struggle to find a safe place to live.  Many students could become homeless.

“For decades, Job Corps has provided a vital pathway to education, job training and self-sufficiency—especially for young people who deserve a second chance.  Trump policies are taking away that second chance.

“Trump’s latest order will displace students in the midst of their training, lay off dedicated staff and leave communities scrambling to fill the gap. While the administration claims this is about ‘fiscal responsibility,’ the truth is they are abandoning our students to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy and well-connected. Halting Job Corps contracts will deepen inequality and rob a generation of the tools they need to thrive. We should be investing in our communities and resources—not walking away from an effective tool to break cycles of poverty and help young people to succeed.”

The source said they are working to find homeless shelters for students and are meeting with students individually to discuss next options.