What’s Happening in School-to-Work Programs?

Abstract:
The School-to-Work Opportunities Act authorized the allocation of resources for initiatives that would help young people make the transition from school to work. This article summarizes the characteristics, principles, and practices of successful school-to-work efforts as synthesized from the literature. School-to-work initiatives are an identifiable formal part of a secondary and/or postsecondary curriculum, involve active participation of employers, involve actual or simulated on-the-job experience, and result in formal or informal certification of skills. The article describes characteristics of successful programs, examples of effective practices, barriers to successful initiatives, and recommendations for program improvement. Overall, the article will serve as a helpful introduction to issues surrounding school-to-work programs.

Author(s): Brown, Bettina Lankard

Publication: ERIC Digest #190


Date Published: 1/1/1998

Pages: 4

Location Code: 9141