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Through August, 1979, approximately 63,000 low-income youths in 17 areas across the country had been enrolled in Youth Incentive Entitlement Pilot Projects that guaranteed them a part-time job during the school year and a full-time job during summer months on the condition that they remain in, or return to, a secondary school or enroll in an equivalency education program; 30,000 youths were currently enrolled. A study of the program for the period September 1, 1978, through August 31, 1979, showed evolving relationships between the prime sponsors and the educational system and between the prime sponsors and the private sector, and growing experience in dealing with school drop-outs. Several new activities were launched during this period, including a private sector wage subsidy variation experiment; an effort to provide educational resources; and a modest expansion in several sites. During this period, large numbers of youths were employed and attending school, the share of private sector worksites was growing, and youths were remaining in the program for fairly long periods of time. However, while substantial improvements in administration were noted, the program model continued to pose a challenge, and the effects of the rapid start-up were still apparent at some sites. In a few cases, sites experienced persistent operational problems. (KC)

A study focused on the implementation and project feasibility of the Youth Incentive Entitlement Pilot Projects (YIEPP) during the latter period of the demonstration from September 1978 through August 1979. Program operations at 17 sites--Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, King-Snohomish Counties (Washington), Mississippi, Alachua County (Florida), Albuquerque, Berkeley, Dayton, Hillsborough County (New Hampshire), Monterey County (California), New York, Philadelphia, Steuben County (New York), and Syracuse--were examined with respect to program participation, job development, schooling, and program cost. Overall, findings document improvement of the sites in implementing the YIEPP model. While the demonstration has enrolled impressive numbers of youths, there were some limitations on the ability and willingness of prime sponsors to establish and enforce school and work attendance and performance standards and to reverify youths. Sponsors were generally able to develop enough jobs and to reduce the time lag between enrollment of youths and their assignment to jobs. Schools have generally shown good cooperation with prime sponsors in recruitment of in-school youths into the program. Also the demonstration has fostered development and expansion of alternative school programs to serve returning dropouts. Program costs were computed and determined feasible. (Related youth knowledge and development reports are available separately--see note.) (MN)

The Youth Incentive Entitlement Pilot Projects (YIEPP) demonstration was a large-scale test of a school-conditioning guaranteed jobs program for teenagers from low-income families. Unlike previous youth employment programs, the YIEPP linked school and work by offering jobs to all youth who met the eligibility criteria and who also agreed to remain in, or return to, school. During the 30-month demonstration, over 76,000 youth were employed by YIEPP work sponsors at 17 project sites across the country, operated by competitively selected Comprehensive Employment and Training Act prime sponsors. At the project's conclusion, a feasibility analysis was conducted to examine the ways in which YIEPP sponsors developed sufficient numbers of jobs for the target population and the degree to which the program's basic eligibility requirements and its school performance and attendance standards were enforced. The demonstration indicated that selected prime sponsors could feasibly enroll large numbers of economically disadvantaged youth in a guaranteed jobs program and provide them with adequate or better work experience despite fairly demanding program constraints of time and scale. What proved to be less feasible was the enforcement of some of the eligibility and school performance standards. (Appended to this report are site profiles, supplemental tables and charts, and a methodology for length of stay and termination analysis.) (MN)