For info on how to contact me by e-mail, see bottom of this page

Doing the Right Thing For the Right Reasons

Home Page for Issues about Job Corps The place is worse than ever!

It seems that the Oneonta Job Corps Center is improving.

• It is better at covering up the amazingly poor job it does


• It is better at giving itself awards instead of helping the students they are supposed to serve


• It is better at keeping itself out of the local "newspaper" when there are alleged crimes commited at the center or by people at the center


• It is better at stonewalling local efforts to get some sort of citizen committee to be able to advocate for the safety and education of the students


• It is better at being a recipient of corporate welfare.


• It is better at being a shameful boondoggle


• It is better at socially promoting people who are not fit to fill honest jobs for an honest living (but let's not talk anymore about bureaucrats; let's get on to the students now...)


• It is better at convincing the students it is supposed to serve that the students are getting a fair deal, when in reality they are in a Dickensesque school-for-profit


• It is better at using the students to do local projects, in the name of "work related training," when in fact it is nothing but a public relations ploy to make Job Corps look like it is doing something. It IS doing something - it is practically using disenfranchised students as indentured servants, for it's own public relations benefit


• It is better keeping in the news for cheap symbolic gestures, misdirecting attention from the fact that most of the students get a horribly inadequate education, under distressing conditions at the center


• It is better at making it look like any honest, caring person who wants to take a closer look at the real situation at the center is "a disgruntled employee." If that's not slander...


• It is better at keeping people from realizing that there is no reliable, independent survey which shows that the percentage for success at the center is better than the percentage of success in the demographic they serve which which doesn't go to Job Corps. In other words, there is no reliable evidence that Job Corps works at all. There is evidence to the contrary, though


• It is better at parading the rare example of a student who does well at the center than addressing the huge proportion of students who do not graduate, do not get jobs, or worse.


• It is better at fooling some of the people some of the time

It is not better at providing a safe, efficient environment for students to learn and grow. What a waste of your money. It is your money, you know. It is paid for by federal tax money. But they farm the contracts out to private corporations, for their profit.

It is simply a way for corporations to make money off another government agency which cannot do its job. It doesn't serve your community, it doesn't serve society, and worst of all, it doesn't do well by the students it gets money to serve.

They would like you to believe that anyone against Job Corps is against the population Job Corps serves.

The truth is, if you really care about those kids, you would have someone reliable (not some local "official") look into your local center. The center should be answerable to local citizens who have nothing to gain by taking advantage of disenfranchised youth, and everything to gain by making sure these kids get the quality education and the safe environment, and the respect that every young person deserves.

Thanks to all the people who were so instrumental in getting the previous contractor removed. Lots of people wrote letters to the editor of the local newspaper, talked to politicians, met and discussed how to improve the center, signed petitions and wrote encouraging messages on this site. It looks like you may be needed again.

THE MESSAGE BOARD

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Disclaimer: The postings on the message board are not necessarily my (Brian Foley's) personal opinions, and I cannot take responsibility for them. In the interest of keeping our legitimacy pure, please take care not to post anything which may be injudicious, such as gossip, innuendo, or libel. We are in this for the benefit of the students, and nothing else. I reserve the right delete any posting for any reason. If you have any information or questions which you need addressed, but do not comfortable posting, please send me an e-mail (hoskeebo1@hotmail.com - the link is at the bottom of this page). I will keep confidential anything you ask to be kept confidential.
Your help in getting the Job Corps program to work as well as it can, and to be accountable is greatly appreciated.

For feedback, contacts and more information, or to drop a line about your experiences at Job Corps (which will be held absolutely confidential if you request it) you can e-mail me at:

hoskeebo1@hotmail.com

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