Over the past decade, global competition and calls for upgrading the American workforce have generated greater public interest in the preparation of American youths for employment. Some evidence suggests that the American educational system is failing to equip students with the skills necessary to enter the labor market, either directly after high school or after postsecondary education or training. Educators, policymakers, and the business community have become increasingly concerned about improving the relevance and quality of students' learning experiences, and finding effective ways to facilitate their transitions from school to productive career-oriented employment.

To promote and evaluate initiatives designed to address this concern, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) sponsored the School-to-Work (STW)/Youth Apprenticeship Demonstration. The demonstration began in September 1990 with grants to six organizations to develop and implement a wide array of school-to-work programs involving collaboration between schools and employers and efforts to integrate school- and work-based learning In fall 1992, DOL extended funding for a year to 5 of the initial grantees and made new, two-year grants to 10 additional organizations to demonstrate a specific model for school-to-work transition: youth apprenticeship. The programs that these grants supported were expected to promote high school completion acquisition of skills relevant to employers' needs, transitions from school to career-oriented employment, and (in some cases) further education.

Most of the programs are continuing in some capacity beyond the DOL grant funding period, and their program designs and approaches are still evolving. This report presents a final assessment of the early implementation experiences of the demonstration programs and the students who participate in them.