Professional Development Engagement (PDE) is defined as "the level of undergraduate engagement in professional development." It reflects career-related work preparation for "life after college" and is a distinct externally-focused component of student engagement (SE). The increased college retention and subsequent job placement…

This brief shares stories about how three students with disabilities used networking and mentoring to become interested in or learn more about a line of work, or even to find jobs. The students represented different high school grade levels and had a wide range of disabilities including learning, cognitive, physical or health-related, sensory,…

This five-section guide is intended to help entry workers find and secure jobs in a competitive job market. Sections include information on the following: finding job openings; filling out employment application forms (guidelines to follow, major components, and an application checklist); writing a resume (resume writing techniques, preparing your…

This manual profiles 55 school-business cooperative programs being carried out in the United States for the purpose of improving access to employment for high school students, particularly minorities and the economically disadvantaged, before they graduate. Each of the manual's chapters is devoted to a particular type of cooperative program and…

This handbook is designed to help counselors take leadership in providing comprehensive career development activities for students in grades 9-12. The guidelines are intended as a tool for counselors to use in working with their colleagues to develop realistic and workable counseling and placement program strategies. A five-phase schema is…

There are great parallels between the School-to-Work Opportunities Act and the legislation which produced transition services for individuals with disabilities. The rationale is clearly the same: a real recognition and concern exists about the difficult transition that faces all high school graduates as they prepare to live on their own, assume…

This pamphlet is a four-step blueprint for a school-to-work system for getting students ready for work. Step one proposes that every school-to-work system be guided by the following principles: (1) encourage participants to attain high academic standards; (2) encourage students to stay in school; (3) link classroom curriculum to work-site…