Young Americans represent the future of the United States but face challenging pathways to economic opportunity. Challenges related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and demands for related skill sets are complicating access to work and opportunity for many who are newly entering the workforce. To address this challenge, more state, local, and…

State policymakers recognize the economic imperative to ensure that education and training are connected to good jobs. Employers are seeking -- and are often struggling -- to hire appropriately skilled workers. For job seekers, the path to a good job with education beyond a high school diploma is certainly clearer than one without postsecondary…

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental impact on many facets of students' successful transitions from secondary into postsecondary education, particularly for students who depend on in-person delivery of content and experience. For many young people, paid work-based learning has historically provided a needed source of income, and its…

ACT's annual Condition of STEM reports provide essential national data on student interest and achievement in STEM subjects. The latest report--"STEM Education in the U.S.: Where We Are and What We Can Do"--takes the data one step further by pairing the latest findings with promising practices aimed at improving STEM achievement and…

This technical assistance guide is written to help practitioners and policymakers involve large numbers of employers in providing high quality learning experiences in the workplace. Section I discusses the challenge of the school-to-work transition and guiding principles for new efforts. Section II focuses on strategies for recruiting and…

The Leeds Under-Employed Graduates project was developed to assist higher education (HE) graduates living or working in Leeds, England, who encountered difficulty in establishing themselves in the local labor market. The main project activities were as follows: (1) services for graduates (including graduate career development workshops, assistance…

This paper describes the national, state, and local contexts in which California (CA) is implementing School-to-Career (STC). Section I presents an historical view of School-to-Work (STW), describing national goals of the STW Opportunities Act 1994 (STWOA), and also discusses CA's STC efforts. Section II provides contextual information about STW…

The government is introducing a new, integrated support service, the Connexions Service, to provide information, advice, guidance, referral, and support for all young people aged 13-19 in England. Building on the Careers Service, its introduction should have significant implications for careers education and guidance (CEG) in schools. Currently,…

As mandated by the U.S. Congress, this report evaluates the Learn and Serve America program's effects on higher education students (service providers), service recipients, and higher education institutions, and assesses the program's return on investment. An introduction summarizes the policy debate and reviews the study objectives and approach.…

The MEXUS program, a transnational, undergraduate, dual-degree program in the United States and Mexico, addresses the problem of how universities can better prepare students to manage business in an interdependent global marketplace. The program was initiated as a consortium of four institutions (San Diego State University and Southwestern College…

This final report describes a project at the University of Connecticut-Storrs, begun in 1993, to create a 5-year interdisciplinary, undergraduate, double-degree program, combining a bachelor of science in engineering with a bachelor of arts in German. The program, called Eurotech, is intended to provide students with practical, integrated foreign…

This document contains the papers from plenary sessions, forums, and panels conducted at a conference on the new forms of vocational education needed for the world economy of the 21st century. After introductory remarks and opening addresses by the Minister of Education and Science of Finland and the Acting Director of the European Commission, the…

This document, which is intended to provide technical assistance to individuals responsible for integrating year-round and summer employment and training services for youth under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), contains case studies of eight employment and training programs that have already or are in the process of integrating their summer…

A process study was conducted between 2000-2001 in order to gauge the progress of 98 Connecticut institutions that received state school-to-career (STC) grants. Progress was measured against national averages. The following were among the findings: (1) grantees made significant progress in implementing fundamental STC components, such as career…

This report profiles 12 programs conducted as part of the Hitachi Foundation's Partnerships in Economic and Educational Opportunity Initiative. The introduction and overview explain the goals of the initiative, which was undertaken to improve the economic and career options available to young people who have traditionally been underserved by…