Nine papers presented at the conference on Employment Statistics and Youth are presented. Focusing on the meaning of unemployment counts in the U.S., the first three papers are Measurement and Interpretation of Teenage Unemployment in the United States and Other Countries, by Beatrice Reubens; What Do Teenage Unemployment Statistics Measure?, by…

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between female delinquent behavior and labor market experiences. Data for the research consisted of responses from approximately 4,000 15- to 17-year-old youth who participated in the 1980 New Youth Survey of the National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experience. Variables examined…

Traditionally, the road to good jobs for young persons in West Germany has been the "dual system" of vocational education and training (VET), similar to apprenticeships in the United States, but practiced on a much wider scale. A large percentage of West German youth usually enter such programs after high school in order to prepare for…

Dan Dunham, my Deputy Commissioner, and I agreed on six top priorities for occupational and adult education to guide our administration in the days ahead. First, we agreed that we must continue to expand access. Second, we must have equity of opportunity. Third, we must develop better accountability and data systems in vocational education. As a…

President Ford's pledge to bring education and employers together in a new climate of credibility requires the cooperative planning of the Departments of Health, Education, and Welfare; Commerce; and Labor. Sidney P. Marland's idea of career education is receiving a new thrust. The concept of completing an education within a certain time span is…

This paper summarizes evidence from the Scottish Young People's Survey (SYPS) on the labor market problems of young people in Scotland. The discussion focuses largely on youth unemployment. Other indicators of disadvantage, such as quality of employment and wages, are either difficult to measure or are of doubtful validity for this age group.…

Education is constantly criticized for its "failures"--its "failure" to produce literate graduates, its "failure" to prepare students for the jobs of future technology, and its "failure" to reduce unemployment and establish equity for all students. However, these "failures" are not solely those of…

Has vocational education been responsible for the unemployed youth in our nation today? No, the vocational education community is not responsible for youth unemployment rates, the shifting labor market demands, the baby bulge, women in the labor force, the oil embargo, or the economic recession. Then what role does the vocational education…

Two Ohio State University commencement addresses, one by former Secretary of Labor Willard Wirtz in March 1977 and the other by former President Gerald R. Ford in August 1974, deal with the topic of education and work. Willard Wirtz discusses the problems of unemployment among youth and the elderly and cites the need for national education/work…

This paper summarizes the results of a National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC) survey of community-based organizations (CBOs) about the effects of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). Findings are summarized in these areas: (1) changes in funding for training disadvantaged youth, (2) changes in service to youth, (3) the role of CBOs in the…

The advent of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) has not been favorable to community-based organizations (CBOs) serving unemployed young people. The overall decline in the amount of money available for employment training is one reason for the reduction in services, but it is not the sole reason. The transition to the new act itself is also…

A longitudinal study is being conducted to assess the occupational activities and aspirations of young people trained in West Germany's "dual system" of apprenticeship and part-time jobs. Baseline data were gathered from 21,000 students, and approximately 10,000 of them were contacted one and one-half years later. The sample population…

The advent of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) has changed the way community-based organizations (CBOs) can serve unemployed youth, according to the findings of the National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC) survey of CBOs; analysis of reports, surveys, and studies of the JTPA; and conversations with NYEC members and others concerned with…

Ethnographic methods have been proposed as one alternative to research based heavily on statistics and experimental design. Ethnography essentially means "a way of systematically learning reality from the point of view of the participant." Four features distinguish ethnographic research from other research methods: (1) the research is considered…

Over 3,000,000 youths aged 16-24 fall into the category of unemployed or persons who are discouraged and no longer actively seeking work. This number accounts for more than half of the unemployment in the U.S. and represents a personal tragedy for the youths as well as a considerable loss of productivity for society while adding a drain on its…