When 23-year-old Raymond Villanueva looks at pictures of the beaches in Sausalito California, a suburb of San Francisco, he says he gets very homesick.

He recently traded the hot sandy beach of home, for the cool fall foliage at Cassadaga Job Corps in Chautauqua County, a residential career training facility, now fully reopened and accepting new students, after its COVID shutdown.

Villanueva is enrolled in the Licensed Practical Nursing, or LPN, advanced training program, sponsored by BOCES, almost 3,000 away from home.

“It’s been a little difficult you know. But now with cell phones and FaceTime, it really helps to not feel so far away," Villanueva said.

"It's great to hear Raymond's story and our other student's stories," said Vincent Trippi, Cassadaga Job Corps workforce development director.

Trippi says the Corps is fully funded from the U.S. Department of Labor, making it free, yes, free, for eligible students 16 to 24, who may or may not have finished high school, and are not in college.

There are several vocational programs including carpentry, plumbing and electrical in addition to nursing, which fills a critical healthcare need in the community.

"A lot of the local hospitals and nursing homes have been calling us also waiting for our graduates to be finishing the program and also for the opportunity to do work based learning," said Trippi.

"We're here to make sure our students are getting the education and getting the foundation that they need to go out into the workforce," said Patrick Carroll, center director.

Carroll says he's looking to expand the population, as there are more than 120 job corps in the U.S., including six others across the state in Iroquois in Orleans County, Glenmont In Albany County and Oneonta in Otsego County.

"Being in a lot of different communities, we're able to access a lot of students looking to get into vocational programs. And we're serving a lot of different areas that really allow us to hit and get in touch with all these students," said Carroll.

Villanueva caught up with Trippi before class, as his ten month course of study includes class time, lab hours and clinical work, as well as hands on skills, that include a check of vitals and blood pressure.

"It is a stepping stone for me and for my career in the future as well," said Villanueva.

Villanueva is grateful for the opportunity in a field he says he's certain he'll start debt free. What remains uncertain is if he'll stay in the area when he's completed the program, or head back west.

"I've always been a really empathetic person. And I've also wanted to also make an impact on the community that I live in. And if I can do that through nursing care, then that would be an honor for me," said Villanueva.

The nursing program has enrollment in January and July.