Although youth employment programs operate on the premise that training will produce economic returns in the form of higher employment probabilities, better jobs, and higher wages, the efficacy of these programs has sometimes been in doubt. To determine if and how these programs produce youths who can find and keep a job, 3-year follow-up data…

Changes in occupational status and income were examined among former participants in the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) programs that had an educational focus and the purpose of providing short-term employment. Telephone interviews were conducted with 62 percent of individuals who terminated from CETA programs in a selected state…

In the middle of the 20th century, job training was largely unnecessary, since workers were desperately needed to labor in manufacturing and construction jobs. Skills were learned on the job, and even a high school diploma was not needed for most occupations. Workers received wages that allowed them to raise a family comfortably and then to retire…