Finding a job is hard enough right now. But imagine looking for work when you don’t have a high school diploma or any special training. That was the situation for our next two guests. That is until they found Job Corps. The program, run by the U.S. Department of Labor, has been around for more than 40 years. Job Corps gives young people a home away from their regular life - while they learn a trade and fill in the gaps in their basic education. Alison Cuddy talks to two Job Corps students based here in Illinois to find out more about their experiences. Twenty-year-old Valencia Gordon is a Job Corps student based in Joliet and 25-year-old Helene  Williams is at the Paul Simon Chicago Job Corps Center in the city.

WEB EXTRA:
Helene Williams recites her poem, “Pride”

Music Button: Modest Mouse perform “History Sticks To Your Feet” from the release No One’s First and You’re Next (Sony)