The Alternative Youth Employment Strategies (AYES) Project began as one of the demonstration projects funded under the Youth Employment and Demonstration Project Act in 1980. The program, which features three training models, is targeted toward high-risk, disadvantaged youth, especially minority youths from urban areas who had prior involvement with the criminal justice system. The three AYES models called for (1) a work experience program in which students worked together on community service-type jobs in crews under the direct supervision of AYES work site supervisors; (2) full-time vocational or academic training, including counseling, supportive, and job placement services; and (3) a rotating program of work experience and classroom training, with no period extending beyond two weeks. The AYES program provided 1,082 high-risk youths in three cities (Albuquerque, Miami, and New York) with employment training. Despite the many issues and complexities involved in assessing the program's effectiveness, it was possible to conclude that AYES was at least partially successful in its attempts to increase participants' employability and reduce their involvement with the judicial system. The most consistent and reliable finding was that participants were more likely to find employment at some time during the followup period than were members of the control group (51 versus 41 percent) and had higher mean weekly earnings ($63.16 versus $47.67). However, the program's hopes for improving the quality of employment for participants and changing their work attitudes turned out to be somewhat naive. (Appendixes include a detailed description of program implementation in the AYES project and methodological notes. Sixty-three data tables are in the document.) (MN)