Job Corps Administrator

Edna Primrose is the National Director for the Office of Job Corps. As Administrator, she has responsibility for leading the program and its 125 Job Corps centers throughout the country. The Job Corps program serves approximately 100,000 disadvantaged youth, ages 16-24, each year. The largely residential program offers participants opportunities to secure academic and career technical credentials and assists them with securing placement in education, employment, or the military upon graduation from the program.

Ms. Primrose began her professional career with the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), a Job Corps National Training Contractor, in 1984. Working her way from Administrative Assistant to Program Coordinator, she was tapped to lead the IUOE Job Corps Training Program as National Director from 1997-2000. She was the author of a nationally recognized workplace diversity training curriculum and technical assistance guides for promoting women in construction trades.

Job Corps National Director
Edna Primrose

In 2000, Ms. Primrose joined the National Office of Job Corps as its Chief Performance Officer, directing the Division of Program Support and Accountability. She oversaw the performance assessment and measurement system for the program, establishing benchmarks and developing the infrastructure to comply with the Workforce Investment Act. During this time, Ms. Primrose coordinated with Departmental Executives and the Office of Management and Budget to develop a comprehensive Outcome Measurement System that complied with the Administration’s newly-launched Common Measures. Additionally, she oversaw the program’s safety and health initiatives, chaired various national workgroups, and coordinated with federal, state, labor, and community organizations. Ms. Primrose is also a recipient of the Secretary of Labor’s Exceptional Achievement Award.

Since 2003, Ms. Primrose worked as a Job Corps Center Deputy Director, a Center Director, and in 2007 accepted the position of Corporate Executive Director of Policy Development. She chaired and participated in both corporate and National Office of Job Corps workgroups.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration from Towson University in Towson, Maryland.