The author sums up the findings of research on the psychological effects of unemployment and of a variety of work experience schemes in which unemployed people participate. The article focuses on school leavers in Australia. (CT)

Connecting Activities was launched more than ten years ago to expose students to the world of work and help them see the relationship between what they are learning in school and their career aspirations. By linking education to worksite learning experiences, Connecting Activities provides a real-world context for teaching a more relevant…

The United Kingdom has a low, but rising, rate of postcompulsory participation in education. Reasons for this are suggested. Although market-led vocational training has provided for expansion, the current system lacks coherence. The paper concludes with some suggestions for reform. (Author/KDP)

The subject mortality problems of an experimental design which covers the period of student recruitment through posttesting over a 13-month period, is detailed in this study. Out of an effective applicant pool of 72 students randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, only 38 students remained at the end of the study with complete test…

This paper discusses the outcomes of two intervention models designed to prevent students with disabilities from dropping out of school in Finland. The first model, the "Creating Own Career" model, is based on the main ideas of the City as School projects. The model is designed to emphasize young peoples' own motivation,…

Research conducted for the Manpower Services Commission on the effects of its Youth Opportunities Programme is described. Many employers appear to use the program as a means of screening potential recruits. Participants who do not join their employers' permanent labor force find educational qualifications affect subsequent employment…

A study compared the effectiveness of public and private sector work experience programs. In five locations equal numbers of jobs were developed in the private and public/nonprofit sectors. To equalize the incentives relative to the public sector, full wage subsidies were provided on an experimental basis in the private sector. Youth were matched…

The DILENOWISCO Educational Cooperative designed the Four I's Project (intervention, introduction, investigation, and involvement) and the K-12 Career Education Program for Norton City in an effort to assist in solving some of the educational problems existing in this isolated central Appalachian area of Virginia. The two projects are discussed…

A study was conducted to determine whether Vocational Education and Training in Schools programs, and in particular, structured workplace learning (SWL) programs in Australia were successful in leading students to employment or further education. A total of 8,249 school leavers who left school in 1999 (15 percent of total school leavers) and had…

Research was conducted to determine whether Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) services were being targeted to those most in need, to identify which participants got which services, and to identify associations between characteristics, services, and outcomes. Data were obtained on 5,300 youth from a random sample of 63 service delivery areas. The…

A study was conducted to identify new points of intervention into the education and social development of economically and educationally disadvantaged youth considered at risk of dropping out of school and never successfully participating in the labor market. The demographic characteristics of the target population were studied, as well as past…

The report contains an overall account of three annual evaluation studies (1971-73) of a project designed to demonstrate how four components supplemented the existing counseling system in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. The components providing occupational information were: (1) a career orientation program for sixth, seventh, and eighth grades;…

The report describes the first year of development and present operation of the Career Intern Program (CIP), a component of the Urban Career Education Center's alternative school for high school dropouts and potential dropouts. The purpose of the program, operated by the Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America under a contract from the…

The report describes the development of the Youth Training in the Private Sector Model for conducting on-the-job training for high school age youth. It is based on a two-year study of the Vocational Exploration in the Private Sector (VEPS) Program in New York City, which placed potential dropouts in work/training positions in the private sector…

This final report concentrates on conclusions and recommendations from a three-year longitudinal study of 48 mentally retarded adults who were graduates or dropouts from senior high schools in six rural Iowa school districts during academic years 1976-1982. Using data from structured interviews, the study sought to assess social and vocational…