Maui Job Corps Celebrates National Commencement Day

By Maui Now Staff

Maui Job Corps Center will join 126 Job Corps centers across the nation to celebrate the 5th Annual “National Job Corps Commencement Day” with a ceremony on Friday, Aug. 28 at 5 p.m. to congratulate the Job Corps students who showed “Job Corps Works!”

Community leaders, family members and many others will recognize 39 students who have completed their career training in fields such as facility maintenance, culinary arts, office administration and retail sales.

Judd Cunningham from the Aloha House will be the keynote speaker.

Kīhei resident Heber Ramirez will be the alumni speaker. He entered the Maui Job Corps when he was 16 years old and progressed steadily. He earned his high school diploma and gained skills in the facility maintenance training program. Heber appreciates what the Job Corps program had to offer him and thanks his instructor, Art Delima Jr., for being his role model. Today, Heber is in the stone fabrication business, working for Worldwide Design Studios.

“I would recommend Job Corps to any young people who need help preparing for a career,” said Ramirez.

Hawai‘i Job Corps Center is one of 126 Job Corps centers located across the country. A unique national program, Job Corps offers at-risk youth diverse academic opportunities and career pathways tailored to meet the needs of business and industry. Each year, Job Corps gives tens of thousands of youth a second chance to complete their education and advance into careers, higher education or the military.

Job Corps has served more than 2.7 million out-of-work young adults and underserved youth nationally. Many are high-school dropouts or public-assistance recipients, and Job Corps helps them become active contributors to their communities.