Title 29, LaborRelease 119-110

§3194 Individuals Eligible for the Job Corps

Title 29 › CHAPTER 32 — WORKFORCE INNOVATION AND OPPORTUNITY › SUBCHAPTER I — WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES › Part C — Job Corps › § 3194

Last updated Sep 23, 2026|Official source

Summary

To join Job Corps, a person must be 16 to 21 years old on the day they enroll. Up to 20% of students can be 22 to 24. The Secretary can allow older people with disabilities to join under rules they set. A person must be low-income and must meet at least one of these: have weak basic skills, have dropped out of school, be homeless/runaway/foster youth or aged out of foster care, be a parent, need extra education or job training, or be a victim of severe trafficking. People who were trafficked do not have to prove they are low-income. A veteran who meets the age and one-of-these requirements can still join even if recent military pay (in the 6 months before applying) stops them from showing they are low-income.

Full Legal Text

Title 29, §3194

Labor, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general
To be eligible to become an enrollee, an individual shall be—
(1)not less than age 16 and not more than age 21 on the date of enrollment, except that—
(A)not more than 20 percent of the individuals enrolled in the Job Corps may be not less than age 22 and not more than age 24 on the date of enrollment; and
(B)either such maximum age limitation may be waived by the Secretary, in accordance with regulations of the Secretary, in the case of an individual with a disability;
(2)a low-income individual; and
(3)an individual who is one or more of the following:
(A)Basic skills deficient.
(B)A school dropout.
(C)A homeless individual (as defined in section 12473(6) of title 34), a homeless child or youth (as defined in section 11434a(2) of title 42), a runaway, an individual in foster care, or an individual who was in foster care and has aged out of the foster care system.
(D)A parent.
(E)An individual who requires additional education, career and technical education or training, or workforce preparation skills to be able to obtain and retain employment that leads to economic self-sufficiency.
(F)A victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons (as defined in section 7102 of title 22). Notwithstanding paragraph (2), an individual described in this subparagraph shall not be required to demonstrate eligibility under such paragraph.
(b)Special rule for veterans
Notwithstanding the requirement of subsection (a)(2), a veteran shall be eligible to become an enrollee under subsection (a) if the individual—
(1)meets the requirements of paragraphs (1) and (3) of such subsection; and
(2)does not meet the requirement of subsection (a)(2) because the military income earned by such individual within the 6-month period prior to the individual’s application for Job Corps prevents the individual from meeting such requirement.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2015—Subsec. (a)(3)(F). Pub. L. 114–22 added subpar. (F).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective on the first day of the first full program year after
July 22, 2014 (
July 1, 2015), see section 506 of Pub. L. 113–128, set out as a note under section 3101 of this title. Job Corps Flexibilities During Qualifying Emergency Pub. L. 116–260, div. N, title VI, § 601, Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2091, provided that: “(a) Enrollment.—During the period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2020] and ending when all qualifying emergencies have expired, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the requirements described in section 145(a)(2)(A) and 152(b)(2)(B) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3195(a)(2)(A), 3202(b)(2)(B)) shall be applicable only for enrollees in the Job Corps—“(1) participating on-site at a Job Corps center; or “(2) returning to on-site participation at a Job Corps center after participating in distance learning. “(b) Eligibility.—During a qualifying emergency or the 1-year period immediately following the expiration of the qualifying emergency, an individual who would be older than the age of 24 on the date the individual enrolls in the Job Corps is eligible to enroll in the Job Corps, notwithstanding section 144(a)(1)(A) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3194(a)(1)(A)), as long as—“(1) the individual applies for enrollment by the date that is 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, and is not older than age 24 on the date of application; and “(2) the individual attains the age of 25 during the qualifying emergency or the 1-year period immediately following the expiration of the qualifying emergency. “(c) Qualifying Emergency Defined.—In this section, the term ‘qualifying emergency’ has the meaning given the term in section 3502(a)(4) of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (Public Law 116–136 [20 U.S.C. 1001 note]).”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

29 U.S.C. § 3194

Title 29, Labor

Last Updated

Sep 23, 2026

Release point: 119-110