The Superintendent of Union County Public Schools in Kentucky is a strong supporter of the Earle C. Clements Job Corps Center. Ms. Patricia Sheffer talks about the partnership with Job Corps and why she believes the program is so valuable.

“When I started here six years ago as the superintendent, I realized that the Job Corps center was an untapped resource. And a lot of people in the community realize that now, and they’ve embraced Job Corps students and their leadership team. And the Center Director [Jeff] Barton is always helpful and very innovative. There’s not one idea he brings up that isn’t good, so he’s very innovative, very encouraging for anything that we want to do—as long as it’s going to benefit the students of Union County. And when I say students of Union County, I mean all. Our Job Corps students are our students. Our public students are our students, so I think for our community, it’s been very beneficial.”

“The Job Corps center is a center I would send my own child to. Actually, if he wasn’t going into agronomy, I would have sent him there because it’s actually the best place that our students could receive an education. It’s stellar education. It’s second to none, I would say.”

“I don’t understand why there should be anyone unemployed in Union County, because with the Job Corps center having all of the technical trades they have. Like I said, we tap into a couple. We have welding and UAW, and this year we have a partnership with culinary arts where their students actually come out and do work-based learning. So, I feel like with that resource there with a plethora of technology and technical skills they have—that there shouldn’t be anyone unemployed in Union County between the ages of 16 and 21. I would encourage anyone, every district, every state in the nation that has a Job Corps to actually partner with their local system and other organizations in the county, because all students would benefit from the partnership.”