Disconnected and at-risk youth have more difficulty finding employment, earn less throughout their career, are more likely to be incarcerated, and are more likely to be young parents than their peers who are in school or working. Connecting these younger populations to high-quality employment and training opportunities is critical to ensure that the next generation of workers can access the same economic opportunities as generations before.
This paper examines four different youth work-based learning strategies, each targeting different youth populations and industry sectors, and identifies key elements of these programs’ success, challenges each has needed to address, and policy recommendations to address these challenges.
