Occupational Training in High School: When Does it Pay Off?

[Excerpt] About half of all youth either do not complete high school or end their formal education with the high school diploma. Even higher proportions of minority, disadvantaged and handicapped youth do not enter postsecondary education. Should public schools offer these youth occupationally specific education and training? If so, what form should this education take? Should the goal of the occupational component of high school vocational education be occupationally specific skills, career awareness, basic skills or something else? What should be the relationship between programs providing occupationally specific training and the employers who hire their graduates