Many immigrant women from Europe settled in Lowell, Massachusetts and worked in textile mills. They lived in enclaves with little knowledge of others beyond their ethnic boundaries. Ethnic groups were in closer proximity in the work place, but the women were uneasy mingling with those outside of their culture. (VM)

On every hand one hears youth asking: "Where can we find work?" Many young people of this generation have never had a steady job, have never experienced the pleasure that comes from contributing their share toward satisfying human needs. Some of them have spent several years in preparing themselves for definite kinds of work, but cannot now find…

This paper examines trends in occupational mismatch in the metal, building, vehicle, and electrical trades and questions whether the process of award restructuring that began in the late 1980s has created incentives for unskilled blue collar workers to pursue skill-based career paths in the trades. Chapter 1 discusses the paper's aim and history…