On May 6, 2021, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh visited the Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks Job Corps Center in Memphis, Tennessee, as part of their recent tour discussing President Biden’s American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan. U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) and Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland joined Mr. Emhoff and Secretary Walsh for the campus tour and the listening session between Job Corps students and program leaders.  

Rose Walker Cook, Center Director of the Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks Job Corps, facilitated a brief tour of the campus with Mr. Emhoff and Secretary Walsh which included a visit to the wellness center and the carpentry, led by the U.S. Brotherhood of Carpenters, and material handling classrooms. After the tour, Ms. Cook hosted a roundtable discussion with Secretary Walsh, Mr. Emhoff, Rep. Cohen, Mayor Strickland, a teacher from the EduCARE Pre-K childcare program affiliated with the campus, a current Job Corps student in the accounting services trade, and LaTonya Benson, the Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks Business Engagement Director. During the roundtable discussion, the group touched on how Job Corps and the childcare development program support young women and the importance of similar childcare programs in Job Corps and beyond, the need for Job Corps to be responsive to workforce and labor demands, marketing Job Corps to a larger audience and how Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks and the entire Job Corps system build quality partnerships in local communities. 

After the tour and visit, Secretary Walsh said, “From helping young adults complete their high school education, providing training opportunities, and finding employment, Job Corps centers offer valuable support to young people. Programs like these help promote and build an inclusive workforce.”

Mr. Emhoff said, “Investing in our workforce is the key to building a brighter future.”

The entire Job Corps community owes the Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks Job Corps campus, and specifically Ms. Rose Walker Cook, its operators, Education and Training Resources and MINACT, Inc., and our partners at the Atlanta Regional Office, Job Corps national office and Employment and Training Administration a sincere thanks for putting on a fantastic tour and representing Job Corps so well.

To view photos of the tour from The Commercial Appeal, click here.