A new paper by National Skills Coalition and National Youth Employment Coalition finds that well-designed work-based learning opportunities can provide youth with occupational and work readiness training while providing income support for disconnected and at-risk youth. The paper examines four different work-based learning strategies, illustrates key elements of success, identifies challenges, and makes policy recommendations to address those challenges.
The paper, entitled Promising Practices in Work-Based Learning for Youth is a companion piece to an upcoming Webinar on October 6 at 2pm EST. Click here to register.
Through conversations with youth intermediaries and employers, community-based organizations running youth programming, and youth participants, we concluded that work-based learning programs should provide the following elements to ensure success for both the participant in the program and the business for which they work:
While a number of youth serving organizations successfully provide work-based learning opportunities for youth, federal policy must better support these practices across the country to maximize the impact on our youth and our business capacity. NSC and NYEC recommend the following policy changes to better align the youth workforce development system with the needs of youth and business in their communities: