"While many youth become disconnected from education and employment, we  believe that with the right interventions and supports, these young  people could begin to change the trajectory of their lives. Businesses  can play an important role in making this happen and can help these  youth get on a pathway to a better
future. And businesses benefit from  this work, too. Companies already involved in programs that serve this  group of youth describe a range of positive outcomes resulting from  these activities, including increases in employee engagement, customer  loyalty, and employee retention."
This toolkit, created in collaboration with the White House Council for Community Solutions, helps employers support young people with three "lanes" of employment programs. More information...

In a new KIDS COUNT policy report, the Casey Foundation finds that nearly 6.5 million U.S. teens and young adults are neither in school nor in the workforce. With employment among young people at its lowest levels since the 1950s, these youth are veering toward chronic unemployment as adults and failing to gain the skills employers need in the 21st century. In addition to new national and state data on the issue, the report offers recommendations to support youth in gaining a stronger foothold in the economy. Kids Count website...

The Department of Labor details the WIA Youth program in a new publication. WIA Youth services are designed for youth who are low-income, in- or out-of-school, aged 14-21 with one or more of the following barriers to employment: (1) deficient in basic literacy skills; (2) a school dropout; (3) homeless, a runaway, or in foster care; (4) pregnant, or parenting; (5) an offender; or (6) an individual (including a youth with a disability) who requires additional assistance to complete an educational program or to secure and hold employment. These youth are eligible to receive services to prepare them for post-secondary educational and employment opportunities, attain educational and/or skills training credentials, and secure employment.

This program is designed to improve the long-term job prospects of young people by providing basic skills, work readiness skills, occupational training, and citizenship skills. Local communities collaborate and establish partnerships, bringing together local workforce training providers, schools, community-based organizations, and other entities. WIA calls on local areas to create opportunities for youth that integrate key programmatic components such as preparation for post-secondary opportunities, linkages between academic and occupational learning, connections to the local job market, and appropriate follow-up services.

Career and employment success for at-risk young people is rooted in ongoing connections with parents, caregivers, friends, mentors, advocates, communities, schools, and employers. Specific tools and strategies can help in this process. Expanding on the It’s My Life transition framework, this concise handbook from the Casey Family Programs is intended for child welfare professionals and others responsible for helping young people prepare for transition to adulthood and the workplace. This guide provides the following recommendations to help prepare young people for employment:

• Start early to develop employability
• Cultivate interests and skills, and relate them to future employment
• Promote activities that help young people explore careers
• Build job-readiness skills
• Help young people get and keep jobs
• Promote work-related education and training after high school

It’s My Life: Employment focuses on the needs of youth in foster care, but this guide (published in 2004) outlines specific recommendations for assisting youth with multiple and complex barriers to transition to college and career.