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Prompted by federal legislation, particularly the 1990 Perkins Amendments, State authorities in the United States of America (USA) embarked on the process of designing new school-to-work systems in secondary schools and two-year colleges. This report supports this process by presenting results from research on existing school-to-work programs in the USA. It begins with a brief discussion of the difficulties of school to work transition and the elements of school-to-work programs. It is suggested that school-to-work systems must prepare young people for their first jobs and, in addition, for continued learning and career transitions throughout their lives. The report then examines two types of programs: school-and-work arrangements, characterised as school-supervised work experience, which allow students to work and attend school during the same time period and include cooperative education (co-op) programs, new youth apprenticeships, and school-based enterprises; and, school-for-work programs, including traditional and newer forms of vocational education, which provide instruction specifically preparing students for work. The report also includes a section summarising a selection of programs for young people not attending school, such as the Job Corps. The authors conclude by examining the relevance of vocational education to subsequent employment and the implications of the research for states designing new school-to-work systems. One important issue is whether to design systems only for students not expected to attend college, or to include within systems those students who may attend a four-year college or university. Appendices contain examples of school-to-work programs, program elements, and program names and locations. A list of references and a bibliography are included.

A discussion of the results of this study entitled ‘School-to-work programs in postsecondary education’ is indexed at TD/TNC 62.306. Show less

A national commitment to equality of educational opportunity in the United States of America (USA) began in 1954 and has continued to be addressed through legislation. However, the inequity experienced by non-college bound youth has added to the difficulty of their school-to-work transition. The School-to-Work Opportunity Bill attempts to deal with some of these inequities through a community-based youth apprenticeship model that will be available to all students. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates individualised programming for students with disabilities during school-to-work transitions. This issue of ‘Centerfocus’ identifies criteria for developing school-to-work transitions to ensure all students will be able to participate and enjoy successful outcomes. The author suggests that the IDEA and progress in program development in relation to school-to-work transitions for youth with disabilities, demonstrate that there can be equitable and high quality transition outcomes for all students. Show less

The Center on Education and Work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison undertook a national study to examine strategies to foster entrepreneurship through business incubators and postsecondary programs supported by community and technical colleges. This paper describes some of the preliminary results of the study and discusses the implications for entrepreneurship development, considering education and training opportunities in and out of business incubation and in business partnerships with postsecondary institutions. Survey information was provided by 74 business incubators from around the US. Interviews and focus groups were also conducted with business entrepreneurs and managers associated with programs to develop entrepreneurial skills. Administrators, teachers and students at community colleges providing entrepreneurship education were also interviewed. The analysis was based on quantitative and qualitative descriptions of the experiences of entrepreneurs in and out of business incubation. Preliminary results were used to develop a profile of entrepreneurs, key factors associated with entrepreneurship, and the implications for facilitating entrepreneurship through business incubators and community/technical colleges. Show less