Young Americans represent the future of the United States but face challenging pathways to economic opportunity. Challenges related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and demands for related skill sets are complicating access to work and opportunity for many who are newly entering the workforce. To address this challenge, more state, local, and…

This supplementary document supports the Council for Exceptional Children's (CEC) Secondary Transition Position Statement by providing definitions of terms for students and youth with disabilities, as well as definitions related to: (1) Career Development; (2) Employment; (3) Collaborative Systems; (4) Student Skills; and (5) Policy. [For…

Adult education programs play a critical role in preparing immigrants and New Americans (multilingual learners) for employment by building English language skills and supporting workforce preparation and training. Addressing multilingual learners' economic integration needs, one of the three pillars of immigrant integration, along with civic and…

High-quality career and technical education (CTE) programs represent an effective way to provide young adults with an educational experience that prepares them for both college and career success. But not all CTE programs provide accessible pathways to a bounty of educational options without dead ends. To address the false dichotomy--college…

Many have called for greater alignment between education systems and the workforce, more equitable access to career-oriented experiences, and new policy approaches that will enable all individuals to successfully enter and thrive in the evolving labor market. Overall, education leaders at all levels must commit to new policy solutions that offer…

Work-based learning faces significant changes in delivery in the face of a global pandemic that has severely limited physical access to schools and businesses. These changes have forced school leaders and employers to acknowledge pre-existing inequities that perpetuate historical barriers and racial discrimination and keep marginalized learner…

The Linking Learning to Careers (LLC) program offered high school students with disabilities an individualized and targeted approach to strategically plan for their futures. The Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) designed LLC to build on its usual services for high school students to emphasize unpaid and paid work-based learning…

Given that work-based learning (WBL) can -- and should be -- a key driver of student career readiness in these efforts, it is essential that all states have a robust work-based learning continuum of experiences and exposure that spans K-16. WBL is an essential element of career and technical education (CTE), and ExcelinEd's CTE Playbook series…

The purpose of this publication is to provide guidance to Minnesota CareerForce youth development professionals on how to intentionally integrate the Guideposts for Success framework into the Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) model. Developed by PACER Center for Minnesota's Partners for Youth Disability Employment Initiative (DEI), this guide…

The Fair Work Act (2009) in Australia deregulates "work" in work-integrated learning (WIL) by distinguishing "vocational placement" from "employee". Following concerns about the legal position of WIL and work experience, the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) published a fact sheet and commenced a joint research project into…

Common misconceptions and noncompliance of cooperative education programs in regard to the Federal Wage and Hour Law. (Author)

Reviews federal laws (Fair Labor Standard Act's child labor regulations, Occupational Safety and Health Act, Immigration Reform and Control Act) for their implications for cooperative education and school-to-work programs. (SK)

This amended guide to the Child-Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act contains general information useful to employers and coordinators of cooperative and work experience programs involving employment of youth under 18 years of age. Included in the document are provisions relating to: (1) age standards, (2) coverage of the Act, (3)…

This revised guide to the child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act contains general information useful to employers and coordinators of cooperative and work experience programs involving employment of youth under 18 years of age. Included in the document are provisions relating to: (1) age standards, (2) coverage of the act, (3)…