Pursuit's Take
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) determined that Job Corps did not ensure contracted Outreach and Admissions (OA) service providers enrolled only eligible students because of systemic control weaknesses at both the contractor and Job Corps levels. As a result, ineligible students took enrollment slots intended for at-risk and low-income youth.
Job Corps policy allowing potential students to self-certify their family income levels was not effective. OIG estimated that 472 (10 percent) of the 4,718 active students enrolled in the program during March 2011 were ineligible; and that $13.8 million would be spent over time to train them. Assuming the ineligibility rate remained constant, then funds spent on ineligible students over a 1-year period could total $164.6 million.