The Wolf Creek Job Corps will be 50 years old this year. The center along Little River near Glide, Ore., was constructed in the mid-1960s and is administered by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Forest Service.
It is one of 125 centers in the country and one of six in Oregon. The coeducational center houses 231 students between the ages of 16 to 24, teaching them personal, interpersonal, and career skills
Each student outlines a career development plan, choosing between a construction trade, forestry, auto mechanics, welding, business, nursing, or culinary arts. Students study at their own pace, ranging from eight months to two years. They volunteer for community service at the Glide Wildflower Show, Douglas County Fair, Earth Day, and the Special Olympics.
Gina Owens of the Umpqua National Forest recently told students, “You embody what it means to have hopes and dreams.”
A graduate wrote: “I found myself succeeding . . . for the first time in my life . . . I have surpassed my expectations in my career due to my training at Wolf Creek.”
Sources: Job Corps. U.S. Department of Labor, 18 July 2014. Web. 20 Sept. 2014. www.jobcorps.gov; Stringer, Kate. “Golden opportunities, Job Corps celebrates 50 years of student programs.” The News-Review 29 Aug. 2014 (Roseburg OR): A2. Print; Lilienthal, Sid. E-mail message to author. 11 Sept. 2014.
