Job training programs offer a path to employment

Last week the Bureau of Labor Statistics released information on a 10-year longitudinal study of America's youth. The study tracked the same young people for the first time when they were 12 to 17 years old and for the tenth time when they were 21 to 27 years old.

One of the startling findings from this study is that "[t]hirty-seven percent of high school dropouts and 19 percent of high school graduates not enrolled in college were neither employed nor in training during the October when they were age 21." Another interesting finding is that only eight percent of high school dropouts in this study went on to complete a GED or a graduate from high school by the time they were 20 years of age.

Other findings that are in line with what we know from other data sources:

• Educational attainment and employment are positively correlated; in other words, the more education you complete, the more likely you are to be employed and to work more hours.
• Women are more likely to be enrolled in college than men.

• Blacks and Hispanics are less likely to be enrolled in college than their White counterparts.

The bottom line from this study, in my opinion, is that young people with lower levels of educational attainment are not getting enough job training after schooling and few high school drop outs are returning to school or completing a GED.

There are programs that seek to combine job training and education, which is one solution to improve the employment prospects for low-income youth and those with less education. Workforce Strategies Initiative--a public policy program of The Aspen Institute--is currently working on a demonstration program involving these types of programs. The programs leverage the power of community colleges (which are more accessible and have local ties) to prepare people for a variety careers, especially the medical field. Leveraging the resources of America's community colleges is one way to re-engage under-represented youth by showing them that their community sees value in them and is willing to provide the educational training, as well as other support, to help them succeed in the workforce.

With the Department of Education's budget expected to double in FY2009, ensuring that community colleges can create and continue these types of job training programs will have an immediate effect on local economies.