An Evaluation of a Youth Employment Program.

The primary objective of this study was to determine whether a job training program increased the employability of 100 unemployed youth. A second objective was to ascertain whether group counseling contributed to employability. Employability was defined in terms of subjects' knowledge of job holding skills and job seeking skills and whether the subjects found employment. The null hypotheses stated that there were no significant differences between experimental and control subjects regarding gains in knowledge of job holding skills, job seeking skills, and number of subjects who found work. The population consisted of poor black youth ages 16-21 who had applied for work at Detroit area Employment Service offices. One hundred experimental and 100 control subjects were r and omly drawn from this population. All subjects were administered two tests to measure their knowledge of job holding skills and job seeking skills. The control group received no treatment. The experimental subjects were r and omly divided into two groups of 50. Both of these groups participated in a 12 week training program consisting of assessment, occupational information, and job seeking and holding skills activities, but only one group received counseling. The two tests were administered again to all experimental and control subjects at the conclusion of the program and subjects were interviewed three months later to determine whether they had found employment. Results indicated that: (1) No significant differences occurred between experimental and control subjects in terms of gains in knowledge of job seeking skills or job holding skills. (2) Significantly more experimental (44%) than control (28%) subjects were employed three months after the program. (3) No significant differences in employability occurred between the two groups of experimental subjects. It was concluded that the program was unsuccessful in increasing subjects' knowledge of job seeking skills and job holding skills, but successful in helping subjects find employment. Suggestions for further research included following-up subjects over a greater time interval, providing remedial instruction for subjects with reading difficulties, and devising a method of measuring subjects' knowledge of job interviewing techniques.PhDSchool counselingUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/158936/1/8215107.pd