Ranked as one of the Top 50 Job Corps Centers in the country, the center houses 110 students, with about 25 percent of those working locally, statewide or regionally at various jobs. The Job Corps provides advanced training opportunities such as commercial drivers license attainment, information technology and natural resource career opportunities through partnerships with The Nature Conservancy, Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs and U.S. Forest Service. Pipelines of employment are available through partnerships with ConMet, Asplundh, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, Duke Energy, Blue Ridge Health Care, Southwestern Community College, Coca-Cola and more. 

The center is located within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park bordering the Qualla Boundary and is operated by the Forest Service under an interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor. The Job Corps program is the nation’s largest residential, educational and career technical training program that prepares economically disadvantaged youth ages 16 to 24 for productive employment. 

For enrollment information, contact Jackson Pierce at 919.954.0691.