Efforts of immigrant and minority youth to make the school-to-work transition successfully are adversely affected by social, psychological, cultural, familial, and individual factors. Complicating their struggle to attain a sense of competence and personal identity, which is common to all youth, are "outsider status," language problems, and cultural misunderstandings. Social factors that affect their successful transition are the degree of the society's egalitarianism, cultural pluralism, racism, sexism, and class stratification. Also significant are the society's attitudes toward youth, political stability, governmental structure, legal system, rate of economic growth, and employment structure. Social institutions, especially schools, can help students make the transition. Preschool programs provide support that pays off in the early working years. The quality of primary, secondary, and vocational education is especially significant for immigrant and minority youth. Educational issues surrounding these populations include the provision of bilingual instruction, including vocational education in a second language, instruction based on individual learning styles, multicultural curricula, culture-fair testing and assessment procedures, integrated schools, comprehensive educational programs, and nonstereotypic treatment. Programs to prepare youth for work must deal with basic skills, occupational skills, and occupational information. Work experience programs, on-the-job training programs, "second chance" programs, and employment services are also needed. (YLB)