This volume is part of a series that is designed to promote stronger ties between the educational resources in the Northeast and Midwest and the economic development process. This monograph examines programs that develop the employment potential of those youth who are not likely to make it on their own. It first looks at the problem of youth unemployment and describes the components of employability--the skills, attitudes, and behaviors that make a young person ready for a job. The following three chapters describe some activities business, education, and government leaders have undertaken; provide examples of business-education partnerships; and draw on current research to provide recommendations for action. Suggestions are made to policymakers in education, business, and government on contributions they can make in each of the four areas of employability development: basic skills, pre-employment competency, work maturity, and occupational skills. Activities to promote pre-employment competency and work maturity are combined in the discussion, as they are in many youth programs. The recommendations at the end of each chapter are intended to guide the way toward more effective strategies to prepare youth for work. A bibliography is appended. (YLB)