Data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that in 2016 over four million young people in the United States were "disconnected," meaning they had not been enrolled in school in the previous three months and were not working. Although this number has fallen in the years since the Great Recession (which officially ended in 2009), as the…

While policy-makers in Britain can justifiably lay claim to creating the term NEET to define young people who do not engage in formal learning, training or employment, the high number who fall into, and remain in, this category continues to challenge them. This, in part, is attributable to the extended use of the term NEET to capture all young…

In this paper we will briefly review recent trends in employment outcomes for disadvantaged youth, focusing specifically on those who have become "disconnected" from school and the labor market, and why these trends have occurred. We then review a range of policy prescriptions that might improve those outcomes. These policies include: 1)…

In this issue brief, the authors explore how former foster youth in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa are faring in the labor market and what explains the variability in employment outcomes for these youth. First, they describe trends in former foster youths' employment from age 17 to 24. Then, they consider how former foster youths' characteristics…

The Great Recession left a crater in the labor market that has been devastating for unemployed Americans of all ages. After more than two years of unemployment at well over 8%, there is a hole of more than 11 million jobs, with average spells of unemployment lasting nearly nine months. The weak labor market has been particularly tough on young…

In 2003 foster youth employed by a foster youth advocacy organization suggested that an evaluation of group home services to foster youth be conducted in Alameda County, California. This report presents the development and conduct of this evaluation study; how funding was obtained; and how foster youth were hired, trained, and employed to produce…

This article explores the implementation of the Victorian Youth Employment, Education and Training Initiative (YEETI). This statewide initiative delivered brokerage funds to homeless young people through their housing advocates. One of the findings of the project was that the main barrier to young people achieving a stable continuum in their lives…

In 1957, 12 years after the end of World War II, the Ministry of Education issued Circular 323 to promote the development of an element of "liberal studies" in courses offered by technical and further education (FE) colleges in England. This was perceived to be in some ways a peculiar or uncharacteristic development. However, it lasted…

This report offers the first systematic analysis of out-of-school youth populations. In so doing, it estimates the youth bulge worldwide and measures key characteristics of out-of-school youth for sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. In addition, as examples of how existing data can be used for analysis at the national and subnational levels, the…

High youth unemployment is defined as a structural, not a cyclical, problem. National youth service, in which youth contribute their service to national needs, would help youth and the nation. The argument for such a service is presented as well as the relationship to military service. (MD)

Examines attitudes of Scottish youth toward the Youth Training Scheme (YTS), a program of reduced-wage training and employment. Attitudinal differences toward the program attributed to social class, gender, and area unemployment rate are discussed. Findings reveal mixed attitudes toward the program. (Author/GEA)

This report summarizes the efforts and successes of the Youth as Resources (YAR) initiative, a program that offers youth empowerment and leadership in community service. It utilizes all youth in an effort to address any social or community issue deemed important to a local area and provides opportunities for a wide range of agencies to host or to…

In the summer of 1991, 24 students, members of an I Have a Dream (IHAD) program, took part in a pilot program to introduce them to the work force through internships augmented by a training program. The Coro Foundation was contacted by IHAD to run the training program, which was adapted to the needs of disadvantaged students entering 10th grade.…

This article reviews trends in school-to-work transitions since the 1970s and argues that educational expansion (more young people extending their school and college careers) is a large part of the problem, rather than an actual or potential solution to young people's transition difficulties. The causes of educational expansion are identified as…

The San Francisco-based YMCA Youth Chance began in 1978 as a Youth Community Conservation and Improvement "sweat program"--a means of providing unemployed high school dropouts with CETA (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act)-funded jobs. Youth Chance continues to train males and females, 16-19 years of age, who meet CETA…