Workforce programs targeting youth (often after-school programs or vocational alternatives to education) can help the more than 5 million young people who are out of work and school get job skills, preparation for college and vocational training, and other critical supports. This report, originally published by the Finance Project in April and now online, looks at challenges for youth workforce programs, and offers best practices and ideas for innovation. It also highlights four funding strategies.

CFK reports from: American Youth Policy Forum
Event: Presentation on the Gateway to College program at Portland Community College
Organized by: American Youth Policy Forum
Where/When: Washington, D.C., June 8, 2005

Portland Community College wants high school dropouts to continue their education—their higher education, that is.

Some 274,000 jobs were created in April 2005, substantially more than experts had predicted. Still, younger workers are struggling amidst less-than-encouraging employment rates. A March 2005 report from the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University found that the teenage employment rate in the first 11 months of 2004—just 36.3 percent—was the lowest it has ever been since the federal government began tracking teenage employment in 1948. Young people ages 20-24 didn’t fare a whole lot better, either.

In 2005, College enrollment among high school grads has hit a near all-time high, and college-bound students fare far better in the job market, according to this Bureau of Labor Statistics report, released in May 2005. The unemployment rate for high school students (16.5 percent) was more than double that for college students (8.2 percent).

Basic questions about career and technical education are a big part of the policy debate on how to reform K-12 education, particularly high schools. This Jobs for the Future report summarizes what we know (and don't know) about the value of high school career-focused education—and it proposes a reform agenda for high school career and technical education. (Free registration required).

KidsHealth offers some pointers for parents and educators on talking with teens about life after high school.

CFK reports from:Capitol Hill
Event: press conference announcing bipartisan support for Federal Youth Coordination Act
Organized by: The National Collaboration for Youth
Where/When: Washington, D.C., February 16, 2005

Today on Capitol Hill, the National Collaboration for Youth held a press conference to show support for the passage of the bipartisan Federal Youth Coordination Act of 2005.

Most adults age 18 to 25 see college as a way to earn society's respect and ensure financial security, but many—particularly African-Americans and Hispanics—are forced to make compromises based on financial pressures. Others say they weren’t well prepared in high school, were influenced by low expectations at home, or were “lazy.” A new survey by Public Agenda finds that seven in 10 young workers without college degrees say they are in their jobs by chance, not by choice. Less than two in 10 view their jobs as careers, with room for advancement.

A Congressional Budget Office analysis of youth labor market trends
won't be news to any teen who's tried to find a summer job in the past
couple of years. In the labor market downturn between 2000 and 2003,
young males have had a harder time getting a job than females, and
pressure from low-wage adults is squeezing teens out of workforce. The
report examines factors that may account for the trends, such as an
increase in school enrollment rates, and presents information on the
percentage of youth who are neither enrolled in school nor employed.

Too many children who go into foster care emerge years later with few skills, no high school diploma, and serious educational deficits. Letitia L. Star reports on a Chicago program that helps.