Volume 3, (Supplement) 1968
Kaufman, Jacob J. 1968. "Occupational Training Needs for Youth." Journal of Human Resources 3(Supplement):121-140.
Vocational education does not seem to be meeting the needs of youth in our society. To meet these needs, it must expand its offerings, make them attractive, understand the culture and problems of Negro youth, and adjust to "servicing" lower ability students. Vocational education must address itself to societal changes such as: the increase in the size of the labor force under age 25; the present trend toward frequent job changes; the high rates of unemployment among young people, especially nonwhites; the increase in the nonmanufacturing sector of the economy; and the increase in job requirements offsetting the decrease in the percentage of dropouts.
Students in the vocational curriculum tend to feel they are better prepared for their jobs, have better opportunities for advancement, and receive a higher initial income than students in either the academic or general curricula. Although vocational schools play a greater role in the placement of their students, students from all three curricula continue to depend most heavily upon personal techniques for obtaining jobs, reflecting the failure of all schools to develop adequate relationships with employers of the community.
The author is Professor of Economics and Director of the Institute for Research on Human Resources, The Pennsylvania State University.
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