A growing portion of Minneapolis youth are dropping out of school before they are prepared for a job. At the same time employers face a growing labor shortage. The city must identify the at-risk youth and intervene early in preparing them for the work world. The common denominator of all factors that increase a youth's risk of chronic unemployment is a significant deficiency in the basic skills. Employers' and youths' perceptions of the skills and attitudes important to employability closely match. The elements of successful youth employment strategies have also been identified: basic skills remediation; comprehensive, individualized services; long-term commitment; and caring adults. Parents and family, the schools, youth, employers, and employment and training programs share the responsibility of preparing young people for the work world. Each sector offers special resources that contribute to the development of employability in youth. These sectors have been working independently and have not succeeded in reaching and preparing at-risk youth for steady employment. Findings, conclusions, and recommendations appear at the beginning of the report. Appendixes include a listing of examples of successful programs for at-risk youth--target group, program, services, a chart illustrating relevant facts and characteristics of Minneapolis Youth Employment Programs, and a 29-item bibliography. (YLB)