By Richard C. Dujardin
EXETER, R.I. -- A freeze on new enrollments that the federal government imposed on the Exeter Job Corps Center and 125 similar centers across the U.S. in January has been lifted.
U.S. Rep. James Langevin, among those who began lobbying for a lifting of the freeze as allow young people to train for jobs, said he is relieved that the suspension had ended but was concerned there's still not enough money to bring the program back up to earlier levels.
He said the funding reductions have forced the agency to reduce its maximum student body size from 200 to 146.
Federal officials said in January that without a temporary suspension in new registrations, the jobs program was projected to exceed its budget by $61.5 million.