Despite their program now at risk of closing, 24 students from Washington D.C.’s Potomac Job Corps Center recently completed a rigorous 40-hour hazardous materials awareness and train-the-trainer course, part of an advanced transportation training partnership with IAM CREST and the Transportation Communications Union (TCU/IAM).
The training, aimed at preparing young people for careers in rail, aviation, and the military, may be the last of its kind at this location.
“These young people are just starting out in various trades, from railroads to planes, and some may even go into the military,” said IAM Resident General Vice President Jody Bennett. “The IAM and TCU/IAM are proud of them for completing this industry-recognized training [that] teaches safety around hazardous materials they may encounter on their journeys into various careers.”
While students at Potomac are gaining skills to become top candidates in high-demand sectors, the Trump administration has announced the immediate suspension of all Job Corps operations nationwide, including the Potomac center. The move aligns with the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget and has already forced thousands of students out of residential programs with no plan for their transition.
The nationwide shutdown has left young people like those in D.C. reeling. Across the country, Job Corps serves roughly 50,000 low-income youth annually, offering not only training but housing, meals, healthcare, and critical life skills. At the Potomac Center, the training included exposure to union values and workplace safety leadership — tools especially important in industries where hazardous materials are common.
“This is our first opportunity to work with Job Corps, Potomac here in Washington, D.C., to train young workers,” said TCU/IAM National President Artie Maratea. “We hope to expand to the other six TSD program sites across the nation soon. We understand the need to teach these workers that hazardous materials can be anywhere on the job, and we want them to be leaders on how to keep themselves and their co-workers safe from harm, especially in the transportation industries.”
But with the Department of Labor pausing operations at 99 centers — including Potomac — by June 30, those hopes now hang in the balance. The closures come despite widespread bipartisan opposition in Congress and a long record of Job Corps lifting underserved communities, especially African Americans, out of poverty through career development and education.
United States Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) of Wisconsin called the shutdown a step “in the wrong direction,” warning it will worsen workforce shortages and “lock students out of good-paying jobs.” In addition, Sen. Susan Collins (R) of Maine said she would fight to reverse the cuts, describing Job Corps as “a pillar of support for some of our most disadvantaged young adults.”
With thousands of young people now displaced and critical job training halted, advocates say the administration’s actions continue to show disregard for programs that serve the poor, the underserved, and communities of color.
“Congress appropriated funding for Job Corps,” Baldwin said. “The Trump administration can’t just decide to not spend it because they want to make room for tax cuts for billionaires.”