What does it take to go from the streets to the front office? For Corey Davis, Center Director at the Gadsden Job Corps Center in Gadsden, Alabama, the answer is equal parts hustle, humility, and an unshakeable belief that every young person deserves a shot. Corey didn’t grow up on a clear path. He was a former gang member, made mistakes, stayed in trouble — his words, not ours. But a praying mama, a chance encounter with Job Corps, and eighteen years of grinding through every level of the program transformed him into one of the most passionate, authentic leaders in workforce development today. In this episode of the iBuild America Podcast, host Lorraine Lane sits down with Corey to talk about what’s really happening at the Gadsden Job Corps Center — a unique program located on the campus of Gadsden State Community College, an HBCU, creating a one-of-a-kind partnership that’s opening doors for young people ages 16 to 24. He shares how Gadsden is pioneering pre-apprenticeship programs in culinary arts and material handling — not just the hard trades people typically think of — and how every student is tracked and supported for a full year after leaving the program. He talks about AI training hitting Job Corps before most adults even knew to ask for it, leisure-time jobs that double as career pipelines, and why he believes “comfortability is a beautiful place to visit, but nothing grows there.” And then there’s Zach — a student who came to Job Corps, wasn’t ready the first time, left, came back, pushed through, and last week signed a $16,000 signing bonus with the Army. That’s the kind of story that keeps Corey going. And it’s the kind of story that’ll keep you listening. Key Takeaways from This Episode: • How Corey went from touring with a rap group to running one of Alabama’s most impactful Job Corps centers • Why culinary arts is the next frontier in pre-apprenticeship training — and what that means for students • The power of wraparound services: being a mentor, counselor, and uncle all at once • How Gadsden is already integrating AI training — and why the students are ahead of the adults • The real secret to workforce retention: following students for a full year after they leave • Why employers need to stop sleeping on Job Corps graduates — and give them the chance • What it means to turn a leisure-time job into a full career pathway Whether you’re a young person looking for your next move, an employer wanting to tap into an underrated talent pipeline, or a workforce professional who lives for this work, this episode is for you. Subscribe, share, and drop a comment. Because this is exactly how we build America — one young person at a time. Build America — Building Workforce Success, One Podcast at a Time.
