Neither a traditional college education nor specific occupational training is enough to ensure long-term career success. Today, individuals also need workplace experience before they enter the labor market on their own, to prepare them to navigate the world of work. COVID-19 has put the availability of these critical career readiness experiences…

Students planning to attend community college or enter the workforce directly from high school need technical instruction and work experience that result in industry designed and recognized credentials along with a high school diploma. This fact sheet examines the Delaware Pathways program, which provides students with career-readiness training…

This study, commissioned by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), is designed to review current evidence on the most effective ways in which employers can support schools to improve pupil educational and economic outcomes. It is a study in three parts. It aims, first, to conceptualise employer engagement in education as a strategic tool,…

Advocates the implementation of a formal youth apprenticeship program similar to that of the German system, which offers incentives to employers, students, and educators. Argues that such a system would increase the productivity and economic opportunities of non-college minority youth and reduce at-risk behaviors. (FMW)

The final report of the Transition from School to Work Project of Employment Opportunities, Inc. in Raleigh, North Carolina, describes efforts to provide students with job experiences and leisure education. The project provided work experiences for 49 students, ages 17-22, with disabilities including autism, mental retardation (IQ range from less…

Evaluation of the role of structured on-site training (SOST) in the Employment Training Panel's (ETP's) training program involved 10 case studies of active ETP projects with SOST, survey of 50 recently closed projects with SOST, face-to-face interviews and focus groups with key stakeholders, Delphi survey of consultants, and quantitative analysis…

An independent evaluation of the Career Explorations program found it to be worthy of both continuation and replication. Career Explorations is a summer youth program operated by Hunter College (New York) in cooperation with The Coalition of 100 Black Women, and supported by The Commonwealth Fund. Its aim is to help minority New York City high…

The Summer Training and Education Program (STEP) research demonstration was initiated in 1984 to test the effects of a two-summer remediation, work, and life skills intervention on the lives of 14- and 15-year-olds from poor urban families who were already seriously behind academically. The program provided youth with half-day summer jobs combined…

This report presents findings regarding design and implementation of school-to-work (STW) efforts in Job Corps Model Centers. Following an introduction, Chapter two argues that Jobs Corps constitutes a natural context for implementing STW systems because its traditional practices to some degree provide a solid foundation on which to lay STW…

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…

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.…

A literature review of 132 studies of School-to-Work programs and consultations with the staff of the National School-to-Work Office, researchers, and practitioners in the field drew conclusions about the effectiveness of the School-to-Work initiative. Some of the study's conclusions were the following: (1) School-to-Work students maintain good…

The value of the output and services produced by students while enrolled in the Job Corps was estimated by analyzing data from a sample of 2 projects from each of 23 Job Corps centers. The projects were subjected to in-depth analysis based on independent-estimate and relative-productivity approaches. The following were among the key findings: (1)…

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…