Workforce development for vulnerable youth: lessons from two national studies

Young people who are neither in school nor working have been termed ‘disconnected’ or more optimistically ‘opportunity’ youth (Burds-Sharps & Lewis, 2018). The challenges for these youth are well known. If youth are not building needed skills during adolescence and young adulthood, the risks of long-term disadvantage are severe (Lewis & Gluskin, 2019). Race, gender, geography, and many other characteristics impact the likelihood of disconnection and its negative effects. This brief summarizes key results of two studies, conducted by a team at the Boston University School of Social Work between April 2020 and March 2021, to understand how workforce development boards address the needs of vulnerable youth. In addition to presenting findings from these studies, the authors offer ideas for next steps.This work was supported by the Initiative on Cities at Boston University and the Institute for Research on Poverty at University of Wisconsin-Madison