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OTTUMWA, IOWA -- Some big names were in Ottumwa Friday as the new Ottumwa Job Corps Center was officially dedicated.

Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, along with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis spoke to the crowd about the importance of having the campus in southeast Iowa.

“I think it is very important for a lot of different reasons. Perhaps I am being a little bias here, but I have seen for example in Denison, where we get a lot of the city kids from Chicago, Kansas City and a lot of other places. They never have experienced a small town, and the cohesiveness that people in small community have and the support. I think that is one of the benefits of having Job Corps centers in our smaller communities, like the Ottumwa and the Denisons, and places like that,” said Senator Harkin.

Senator Harkin also told KTVO that he was very excited about the partnership the Ottumwa campus has with Indian Hills Community College.

“So we have a good track record. We know what Job Corps can do, and so we’ve built more Job Corps centers. As I say, this is the first on in America where it is combined with a community college; so we think this is going to be a new stepping stone, a new regiment sort of speak, for disadvantaged youth to get the skills they need to have jobs,” said Senator Harkin.

When the Ottumwa campus reaches its full capacity, it is expected to have 300 students and employ over 150 people.

For more information on the Ottumwa Job Corps campus, click here.