ERIC Number: ED392974
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1996-Mar
Pages: 24
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Job Corps. Comparison of Federal Program with State Youth Training Initiatives. Report to Congressional Requesters.
General Accounting Office, Washington, DC. Health, Education, and Human Services Div.
The General Accounting Office compared state youth training programs with the Job Corps using the four program features that, taken together, characterize the Job Corps program: (1) serving a severely disadvantaged population, (2) providing basic education instruction, (3) focusing on vocational training services, and (4) providing these services in a residential setting. Data were collected through surveys of state officials and national organizations associated with youth employment and training programs. Two programs that most closely resembled the Job Corps program were visited. The study found that most state and local programs for youth differ from the Job Corps. Most states had programs serving disadvantaged youth that provided basic education, and some state programs also offered vocational training, but it was limited to preemployment preparation or introduction to the working world and did not include training in a specific occupation. In addition, residential programs operated by the states generally targeted a specific segment of the disadvantaged youth population, such as youths who have been involved in the court system, whereas the Job Corps targets youths with multiple barriers to employment, such as school dropouts, recipients of public assistance, and youths with limited English proficiency. Of the state and local programs, youth corps programs (programs that give young people work experience and training through community service and conservation projects) had characteristics most similar to Job Corps. Two youth corps programs--California Conservation Corps and Seaborne Conservation Corps in Galveston, Texas--contained all four features of the Job Corps, but they differed in the way they operated their programs. For example, the California program does not specifically target the disadvantaged, and Seaborne's vocational training is geared toward only one industry. (The report contains a list of state and local year-round youth corps programs and comments from the Department of Labor.) (KC)
Descriptors: Disadvantaged Youth, Federal Programs, Job Training, Late Adolescents, Program Content, State Programs, Youth Employment, Youth Programs
U.S. General Accounting Office, P.O. Box 6015, Gaithersburg, MD 20884-6015 (first copy free; additional copies $2 each; 100 or more: 25% discount).
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: General Accounting Office, Washington, DC. Health, Education, and Human Services Div.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A