This testimony on unemployed disadvantaged youth given before the Senate Subcommittee on Labor focuses on the condition of Hispanic and other disadvantaged youth in the labor force. The experiences of these youth with the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) are discussed, and the following problems are elucidated: (1) failure to meet the requirement that 40 percent of the funds be spent on youth services; (2) the use of short-term, low cost programs that cater mostly to the most job-ready participants; and (3) targeting in-school youth or high school graduates to the exclusion of dropouts. More flexibility is needed so that localities can implement programs for all disadvantaged youth not just those receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) benefits. The JTPA should be amended to provide for remedial programs, dropout prevention and school-to-work transition services. Work experience opportunities must be greatly expanded. (VM)