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School-to-Work Transitions

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Report

The Credentials Students Earn Beyond a High School Diploma

Apr 12, 2021

Americans can pursue a variety of different types of postsecondary education credentials. These include degrees, certificates, industry certifications and licenses, and apprenticeships. Who is earning these postsecondary credentials? And how diverse are they?
Report

Developing a Pipeline of Diverse Talent into the Public Sector

Nov 16, 2021

Public-sector agencies, schools, and community organizations could attract more diverse and talented workers by articulating leadership commitment to recruiting from underrepresented groups, communicating the benefits of public-sector careers, and improving awareness of jobs and internships.

Explore School-to-Work Transitions

Commentary

If College Isn't the Pathway to the Middle Class It Once Was—What Is?

Is college still the best path to the middle class? It's complicated. College credentials still do lead many to increased earnings, but the rapid increases in college costs, coupled with a strong labor market, have made the payoff for a college degree no longer a sure thing.

Apr 5, 2022
Report

Developing Outcome Measures for the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program

The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe is a residential program for youth experiencing difficulties in traditional high school. This capstone report describes some of RAND's research and analyses on the ChalleNGe program from late 2017 through mid-2020.

Mar 2, 2022
Report

What Are the Skills Required to Obtain a Good Job? An Analysis of Labor Markets, Occupational Features, and Skill Training for the Youth ChalleNGe Program

The authors of this report identify a set of common skills among high-paying, growing occupations that do not require a bachelor's degree and describe how to incorporate such broader skills into the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program curriculum.

Feb 4, 2022
Report

Learn Together Surveys: 2021 Technical Documentation and Survey Results

This report provides information about the sample, survey instrument, and results data for the 2021 Learn Together Surveys that were administered to secondary principals and teachers in March 2021 via the RAND Corporation's American Educator Panels.

Nov 2, 2021
Journal Article

Patterns and Predictors of Postsecondary Re-Enrollment in the Acquisition of Stackable Credentials

This paper uses 15 years of education and employment data from Ohio to examine the predicators of student re-enrollment in postsecondary education after the completion of certificates in Ohio Technical Centers, community colleges, and universities.

Jun 4, 2021
Report

Examining Career and Technical Education in National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Programs

The authors examined career and technical education opportunities for participants in the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program, a residential, quasi-military program for youth ages 16-18 who are experiencing difficulty in traditional high school.

Apr 12, 2021
Report

Career Guidance in Schools: Research with schools and providers of career guidance services in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

This report examines the provision of career guidance in schools and colleges in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough region.

Jul 21, 2020
Blog

COVID-19 and the Economy, America's Blood Supply, 10 Years of the ACA: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on COVID-19 and the economy, strengthening the U.S. blood supply, 10 years of the Affordable Care Act, and more.

Mar 27, 2020
Commentary

Navigating College and Career Readiness in a Time of Uncertainty

How we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic today will likely have longer-term effects. This means that we need to think about people who are actively preparing for that future: high school students looking to enter college and careers.

Mar 26, 2020
Report

Supporting Students' College and Career Pathways: Teacher and Principal Perspectives

Schools play a critical role in giving students access to college and career information and resources. What do U.S. high school educators think about the quality and availability of the resources that their schools provide?

Mar 26, 2020
Journal Article

Do High School Stem Courses Prepare Non-College Bound Youth for Jobs in the Stem Economy?

In this paper we used data from a nationally representative sample of 10th graders in 2002 to test the hypothesis that non-college bound youth who take advanced academic STEM courses and applied STEM courses in high school will be more likely to hold jobs in the STEM economy and earn higher wages in the years immediately after exiting high school. We find no evidence in support of this hypothesis.

Aug 8, 2017
Multimedia

Workforce Development for the Jobs of the Future

In this Events @ RAND podcast, our panel of experts discusses what California, the federal government, and employers are doing to nurture a workforce that is well prepared for the jobs of today and the future.

Sep 1, 2016
Report

Improving Mongolia's Labor Market and Enhancing Opportunities for Youth

Despite a recent slowdown, Mongolia has experienced dramatic economic growth in the 2000s. Youth labor-market success is important to Mongolia's economic future. Insights from the challenges young Mongolians face, as well as their achievements and aspirations, can help inform policy.

Aug 24, 2015
Commentary

Building a Sound Technical and Vocational Education and Training System

Technical and vocational education and training in India has expanded significantly over the past two decades. But quality and relevance remain significant issues. What may be learned from other countries' experiences?

Dec 31, 2014
Report

Gender inequalities in the school-to-work transition in Europe: Short Statistical Report No. 4

The school-to-work transition has been made difficult by high unemployment for men and women. However, research has also demonstrated that even with considerable gains in education, women continue to have unequal labour market outcomes.

Oct 29, 2014
Project

Encouraging Workforce Development in the Gulf States

As Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama seek to expand their economies, employers will require highly literate workers with advanced technical skills. RAND has conducted extensive research on K-12, college, and vocational education in the United States and overseas, as well as the role of education in workforce development.

Nov 1, 2012
Journal Article

Job Opportunities, Economic Resources, and the Postsecondary Destinations of American Youth

Using two measures of job opportunities—local unemployment rates and the percentage of local workers employed in jobs that require a bachelor's degree—I find support for the warehouse hypothesis. In areas where unemployment is low, with ample jobs that do not require a bachelor's degree, youth have higher odds of entering the labor force.

Aug 1, 2009
Journal Article

The Future at Work: Labor-Market Realities and the Transition to Adulthood

Young people making the transition from school to work in the twenty-first century in the United States and other developed economies can be expected to face a very different world of work than their parents' generation.

Jan 1, 2009

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RAND Topic:
School-to-Work Transitions

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