Formerly preferred, but increasingly required, a college degree has become a prerequisite in a competitive job market. For Black undergraduates who continue to face systemic disparities in college completion, gaps in hiring are exacerbated by unequal access to leadership positions and professional training, such as internships, during college.…

Current federal youth employment programs have failed to meet the employment needs of disadvantaged youth. Programs should be revised to: (1) require all participants to receive remedial academic instruction on the high school level; and (2) train participants in at least one vocational skill for which there exists a local demand for youth…

This paper examines vintage (cohort), environmental, and structural problems associated with youth employment, and discusses strategies for improving job opportunities. Evaluates effects of the Elementary Secondary Education Act, Vocational Education Act, Youth Entitlement Demonstration, Supported Work Demonstration, and Job Corps. (JCD)

Suggests that work training programs based on the concepts of democracy and entrepreneurship may facilitate improvements in employment opportunities for disadvantaged and minority youth. Attributes unemployment to deficiencies in the current economic and social structure, and discusses design and implementation problems in current employment…