A study focused on the relationships of (1) youth's perceptions of hiring and disciplinary standards, (2) their work supervisors' reports of those standards, and (3) selected antecedents and employment outcomes associated with employability development programs. Through questionnaires, data were collected at the beginning and end of the 1981-82 school year from a sample of 1,135 youth participants of employability development programs from metropolitan areas nationwide, from nonprogram employed and nonemployed youth, and from worksite supervisors. The relationship between pre-program perceptions, hiring and disciplinary standards, and post-program perceptions was significant and positive. Personal characteristics related to perceptions of hiring practices were age, study (taking courses in academic subjects), and work experience. Those related to perceptions of disciplinary standards were the amount of work experience and the youth's reservation wage (the minimum acceptable wage for future jobs). Firm and job characteristics were not related to changes in perceptions of the hiring standards. Those significantly related to differences between youth's perceptions and supervisors' reports of disciplinary standards were firm size, cost of equipment used, and wages. Differences between youth and supervisors on standards were significant but not large. The 17 hiring and disciplinary standards that youth consistently undervalued fell into three categories: basic academic skills, work attitudes and personal characteristics, and productivity. (Program profiles and an instrument are appended.) (YLB)