Job Corps Shipbuilding-Defense Industrial Base Pipeline Act of 2026

This Act may be cited as the “Job Corps Shipbuilding-Defense Industrial Base Pipeline Act of 2026”.

(a) In general.— The National Imperative for Industrial Skills program of the Department of Defense (or a successor program) shall maximize the use of and expand on the activities of Job Corps centers and registered apprenticeship programs to train the skilled industrial workers that are needed in the defense industrial base.

(b) Referral of military recruits to job corps.— Military recruiters shall make each military recruit who is ineligible to enlist in the military as a result of the requirements of section 520 of title 10, United States Code, aware of the opportunity to enroll in Job Corps and registered apprenticeship programs in order to meet the standards for enlistment or learn skills that can contribute to the defense industrial base.

(c) Job corps trade realignment.— In order to address shortages of skilled industrial workers in the defense industrial base, the Secretary of Defense may, through the National Imperative for Industrial Skills program (or a successor program) and grants to Job Corps center operators as provided in accordance with section 158(f) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3208(f)), support the change of trades offered at a Job Corps center, including at a Job Corps transition hub at an existing center or at a new site in close proximity to a shipyard or other defense industrial base suppliers, to align with the needs of the defense industrial base, including through investments in curricula development, equipment, and facilities.

(d) Definitions.— For purposes of this section:

(1) Enrollee; job corps; job corps center.— The terms enrollee, Job Corps, and Job Corps center have the meanings given such terms in section 142 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3192).

(2) Job corps center operator.— The term Job Corps center operator has the meaning given the term operator in such section of such Act.

(3) Job corps transition hub.— The term Job Corps transition hub means an advanced career training program under section 148 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3198) that facilitates the onboarding and retention of enrollees into the defense industrial base.

(4) Registered apprenticeship program.— The term registered apprenticeship program means an apprenticeship program that is registered under the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known as the “National Apprenticeship Act”; 50 Stat. 664, chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.).

Section 8696(b)(2) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

“(G) The Job Corps program established under section 143 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3193) or an individual Job Corps center operator as defined in section 142 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3192).”.

(a) Success in military recruitment as a graduate of job corps.— Section 142(5) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3192(5)) is amended by inserting “enlisted in the military with a score on the Armed Forces Qualification Test that is above the thirty-first percentile,” before “or completed”.

(b) Grants to job corps centers.— Section 158(f) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3208(f)) is amended—

(1) by striking the heading and inserting “External funding”;

(2) by striking “The Secretary may accept on behalf of the Job Corps or individual Job Corps centers charitable donations of cash” and inserting the following:

“(1) In general.— The Secretary (or the Secretary of Agriculture, as appropriate), on behalf of the Job Corps, or a Job Corps center operator, on behalf of such center, may accept grants and charitable donations of cash”;

(3) by inserting “grants and” before “donations are”;

(4) by striking “available for appropriate use” and inserting “used exclusively”; and

(5) by adding at the end the following:

“(2) Transfer of property.— Notwithstanding sections 501(b) and 522 of title 40, United States Code, any property acquired by a Job Corps center shall be directly transferred, on a nonreimbursable basis, to the Secretary.

(3) Prohibition of offset using external funding.— An operator that accepts a grant or charitable donation under paragraph (1) may not use the grant or charitable donation to fulfill the cost of any obligation imposed on the operator under an agreement under section 147.

(4) Prohibition on restrictions for job corps placement.— A grant or charitable donation under paragraph (1) may not include terms that restrict the placement or employment options of an enrollee or graduate.

(5) Public reporting.— The Secretary shall publicly disclose on annual basis a list of grants and charitable donations received under paragraph (1), which shall include the amount and source of each grant or charitable donation and the Job Corps center that was designated as the beneficiary of each grant or charitable donation.”.

(c) Local authority To realign trades.— Section 151 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3201) is amended by adding at the end the following:

“(d) Local authority.— Subject to the limitations of the budget approved by the Secretary for a Job Corps center, the operator of a Job Corps center shall have the authority, without prior approval from the Secretary, to—

(1) hire staff and provide staff professional development;

(2) set terms and enter into agreements with Federal, State, or local educational partners, such as secondary schools, institutions of higher education, child development centers, units of Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps programs established under section 2031 of title 10, United States Code, or employers; and

(3) engage with and educate stakeholders (including eligible applicants for the Job Corps) about Job Corps operations, selection procedures, and activities.”.

(d) Streamlined enrollment of veterans and military recruits into the defense industrial base.—

(1) In general.— Subsection (b) of section 144 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3194) is amended—

(A) in the heading, by inserting “and certain other Armed Forces members” after “Veterans”; and

(B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting “or a member of the Armed Forces eligible for pre-separation counseling of the Transition Assistance Program under section 1142 of title 10, United States Code,” after “a veteran”.

(2) Background check exemption.— Section 145(b) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3195(b)) is amended—

(A) in paragraph (1)(C), by inserting “except with respect to an individual described in paragraph (4),” before “the individual”; and

(B) by adding at the end the following:

“(4) Individuals exempted from background check.— An individual described in this paragraph is—

(A) an individual who is—

(i)

(I) a member of the Armed Forces eligible for pre-separation counseling of the Transition Assistance Program under section 1142 of title 10, United States Code; or

(II) a veteran who left the Armed Forces not more than 90 days before the date on which the veteran applies to enroll in the Job Corps; and

(ii) not ineligible for retired pay as provided by section 12740 of title 10, United States Code; or

(B) a military recruit who—

(i) is ineligible to enlist in the military as a result of the requirements of section 520 of title 10, United States Code; and

(ii) not more than 90 days before the date on which the recruit applies to enroll in the Job Corps, passed a background check as part of the enlistment process.”.