Youth Apprenticeships and School-to-Work Transition: Current Knowledge and Legislative Strategy. EQW Working Papers.

For many youths, the early years in the labor market are characterized not by an absence of jobs but rather by a "churning" process that often delays the benefits of high school educational experiences for several years. Youth apprenticeship programs should be designed to serve as a strategy/vehicle of school reform, function as a labor market program, and create institutional structures that link employers and schools. Among the principles that should be followed in designing youth apprenticeship programs are the following: permit students to change their minds about choices; link work and schooling in a substantive way; encourage schooling beyond high school; avoid tracking, gender discrimination, adult displacement, and highly specific training; and provide high quality work placements rather than just work experience. Special attention must be paid to obtaining placements, developing certification criteria and procedures, and obtaining an adequate research and development base. A youth employment policy should do the following: reflect existing demands for youth labor, facilitate the school-to-work transition, be school based, and provide adequate services to out-of-school and disadvantaged youth. (Contains 16 references.) (MN)