About Us
What We Do
Job Corps is a no-cost education and career technical training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor that helps young people ages 16 through 24 improve the quality of their lives through career technical and academic training. The Job Corps program is authorized by Title I-C of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity
Act of 2014 (supercedes WIA 1998). For more information about the Job Corps program at a national level, please visit our Official Public Web Site.
At Gerald R. Ford Job Corps Center, we support the Job Corps program's mission of teaching eligible young people the skills they need to become employable and independent and placing them in meaningful jobs or further education.
Who We Are
Gerald R. Ford Job Corps Center is overseen by the Chicago Regional Office of Job Corps and is operated by MINACT, Inc. Our Center Director is Jeffrey L. Jablonski. For additional staff information, please see our Center Staff page.
Our History
Gerald R. Ford Job Corps Center is located on the former site of Grand Rapids South High School which first opened in 1915. Our center opened in 1982 as the Grand Rapids Job Corps Center. The center name was changed in 2004 to honor Gerald R. Ford, the 38th President of the United States, who was also a graduate of Grand Rapids South High School.
Recently, the Gerald R. Ford Job Corps Center underwent major renovations to improve the male dormitory living space, academic and career technical training classrooms, administrative offices, recreation, and kitchen and cafeteria areas. All renovations incorporated sustainable and renewable energy features, such as green roofing technology, water conservation devices, high-efficiency Energy Star-rated equipment, and designs that efficiently use day lighting. Construction was completed in September 2012.
General Contact Information
You may contact us at:
Gerald R. Ford Job Corps Center
110 Hall Street SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49507
Phone: (616) 243-6877
Fax: (616) 243-4012
Additional contact information for our center is available on our Contact Us page.
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Page last updated:
Monday, April 11, 2016