The past decade has seen a resurgence of interest in career and technical education (CTE) as a way to engage students, help people build the skills necessary to succeed in a technologically advanced economy, and meet employer demand for workers. MDRC--which has a three-decade history of developing and evaluating CTE programs, including a landmark…

By 2030, experts expect one in five American workers to have an immigrant background. And there are already 44 million immigrants in the United States. Most arrive with unmet workforce training needs. Even those with advanced degrees from their own countries can face language and cultural barriers that can leave them stuck in jobs that squander…

This article describes how public, nonprofit, and private partners in Detroit are working to improve and expand adult foundational skills development opportunities and connect them to workforce training as the city begins to make an economic comeback. It outlines the adult foundational skills challenge in Detroit, chronicles the work of a strategy…

In the United States, 1.6 million young people between 18 and 24 years old are out of school (lacking either a high school degree or General Educational Development certificate) "and" out of work. These "disconnected" young people face significant barriers to economic opportunity and distressingly high odds of becoming involved…

Research has demonstrated the correlation between lack of educational attainment and involvement in the juvenile justice system and the importance of education in preventing recidivism. In acknowledgment of the importance of education in the juvenile justice system, more than 2,600 residential juvenile justice facilities report providing education…

Dan Bloom of MDRC examines policies and programs designed to help high school dropouts improve their educational attainment and labor market outcomes. So called "second-chance" programs, he says, have long provided some combination of education, training, employment, counseling, and social services. But the research record on their effectiveness…

Prisons are intended to rehabilitate criminal offenders, as well as to punish and incapacitate them. The education and training systems operating within most prisons are a key component of the rehabilitation mission of prisons. Previous studies have shown a relationship between participation in educational programs and recidivism rates, with…

This report details the development of a program for the short-term training of security guards, including conceptual, instructional, and administrative concerns. It is designed to serve as a model for other similar retraining programs. The original objectives of the program were outlined as being (1) the removal of persons from the category of…

Describes the YouthBuild program in Fayette County, West Virginia, a federally funded program administered locally by the Southern Appalachian Labor School. Participants are unemployed youths aged 16-24, mostly school dropouts, who alternate between 1 week of training in repairing and building houses and 1 week studying for a GED or preparing for…

For more than 40 years, Job Corps has led America as one of the most successful job training programs nationwide, meeting the needs of high school graduates and those without a diploma who have the desire to embark on a successful career path. In Program Year 2005, Job Corps implemented a new initiative called STARS (Speakers, Tutors, Achievement,…

Discusses the Young Adult Learning Academy (YALA) in Manhattan, which offers an opportunity for school dropouts to get an equivalent of a high school degree and partake in job preparation programs. Describes the role of technology and the Youth Internship Program which trains students to work in day-care centers. (AEF)

Describes the combined efforts of Head Start and the Job Corps to improve the quality of life for young people and their families in San Diego, California, where Job Corps students constructed the local Head Start center. Several students had children in the Head Start program. (BB)

This paper contains four charts that describe the participation of people with disabilities in Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs for program year 1986. The first chart displays the state-by-state participation rates for both youth and adults with disabilities in JTPA Title II-A programs. Chart 2 lists the state-by-state participation…

The School to Employment Program (STEP) operated during 1992-93 as an employment-oriented program served economically disadvantaged, out-of-school youth between the ages of 16-21, with special emphasis on 18- and 19-year-olds. Program participants were provided an opportunity to engage in work experience or on-the-job training, to improve academic…

This paper describes a program to provide educational and employment services to high school dropouts and unemployed adults in seven rural Tennessee counties. The program offers supplemental services and coordinates job development and placement with Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) administrative personnel. Program activities include basic…