A three-year project was undertaken to provide community-based career experiences and guidance to out-of-school youth over sixteen in South Dakota. The project, called Pathfinder, aimed to serve mostly (not exclusively) young people who (1) were undecided or completely unaware of career preference, (2) needed to acquire basic and life skills, and (3) wished to explore careers through on-site experience. In phasing in the thirteen-cluster structure, Pathfinder established close collaboration with the local work communities to afford participants a broad range of experience and visible alternatives to the extensive youth out-migration from the state. Participants were assisted, through counseling, testing, and self-assessment activities, in identifying one or two career clusters of interest and in setting their own goals, with no time limitation on enrollment in Pathfinder. Collaborating schools in the state vocational-technical system made courses and training available to participants. Major program activities included career enrichment for disadvantaged youth, guidance information, hiring of a math improvement aide at a local institution, an equality workshop, help with basic skills improvement through high school equivalency study, and counseling to all enrolled. A third-party evaluation concluded that the program had been highly successful, having served 330 people including youth, mid-life career changers, and displaced homemakers. (Third-party evaluation report appended.) (CP)