Two federally funded job training programs in Limestone and Bangor will stop enrolling students, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Tuesday.
But it was not immediately clear if the centers — the Loring Job Corps Center in Limestone and the Penobscot Job Corps Center in Bangor — are closing.
The decision to stop enrollment was prompted by rising costs, according to a three-sentence press release. The release did not specify what costs are increasing.
“The U.S. Department of Labor today announced new enrollment will not be accepted at the Penobscot Job Corps Center and the Loring Job Corps Center in Maine. The Job Corps facilities continue to face ongoing sustainability issues due to rising costs,” the release stated.
Job Corps, operated by the U.S. Department of Labor, is an education and career training program offered at no cost to low-income young people ages 16 to 24. There are more than 120 campuses across the country, according to Job Corps. In Maine, there are other Job Corps facilities in Brewer, Augusta and Portland.
The federal agency will continue evaluating the Maine centers and other Job Corps facilities “in the coming weeks,” the release stated.
Officials at Penobscot Job Corps Center said they had no other information at this time.
Kristie Moir, the director of Loring Job Corps Center, did not immediately return a request for comment.
The Loring Job Corps Center opened in 1997 in Limestone on part of the former Loring Air Force Base. The Penobscot facility opened in 1980.
