S.Amdt. 6654

The Job Corps Shipbuilding-Defense Industrial Base Pipeline Act of 2026 aims to align Job Corps centers and apprenticeship programs with the needs of the defense industrial base to train skilled industrial workers.

Key changes and additions include:

• Defense Industry Alignment: The Department of Defense's National Imperative for Industrial Skills program will expand the use of Job Corps and apprenticeship programs. The Secretary of Defense may support changing the trades offered at Job Corps centers, including creating transition hubs near shipyards or defense suppliers, through investments in facilities, equipment, and curricula.

• Military Recruit Referrals: Military recruiters must inform recruits who are ineligible to enlist under section 520 of title 10, United States Code, about opportunities to enroll in Job Corps or apprenticeship programs to meet enlistment standards or learn defense-related skills.

• Financial and Operational Updates:

  • Extends the Shipbuilding Special Incentive to the Job Corps program and its center operators.
  • Allows Job Corps centers and operators to accept grants and charitable donations, provided these funds are used exclusively and not to fulfill operator obligations under section 147.
  • Requires annual public reporting of the source and amount of all grants and donations.
  • Gives center operators local authority to hire staff, provide professional development, and enter agreements with educational partners or employers without prior approval from the Secretary.

• Enrollment and Eligibility:

  • Updates the definition of Job Corps success to include those who enlist in the military with an Armed Forces Qualification Test score above the 31st percentile.
  • Streamlines enrollment for veterans and certain members of the Armed Forces.
  • Creates background check exemptions for veterans who left the service within 90 days or military recruits who passed a background check during the enlistment process within the last 90 days.