Job Corps Shipbuilding-Defense Industrial Base Pipeline Act of 2026

Key Points

• The bill connects the Job Corps workforce training program to the defense industrial base, directing the Department of Defense's National Imperative for Industrial Skills program to expand training at Job Corps centers and registered apprenticeship programs for shipbuilding and other defense trades.
• Military recruiters would be required to tell recruits who fail to meet enlistment standards about the option to enroll in Job Corps or apprenticeship programs, creating a new pipeline from military recruitment offices to civilian defense jobs.
• The Secretary of Defense could fund changes to the trades taught at Job Corps centers, including setting up new "transition hubs" near shipyards and defense suppliers, with investments in new equipment, curricula, and facilities.
• Veterans and transitioning service members would get a streamlined path into Job Corps, including an exemption from background checks if they recently completed one through the military enlistment process.
• Local Job Corps center operators would gain more independence to hire staff, partner with schools and employers, and engage with the community, all without needing prior approval from the Secretary of Labor.
• The bill adds safeguards for outside funding: grants and donations to Job Corps centers must be publicly reported, cannot be used to offset operator obligations, and cannot restrict where enrollees work after graduating.