EMPLOYER PARTICIPATION IN SCHOOL-TO-WORK PROGRAMS

This article assesses the extent to which employers participate in sch ool-to-work partnerships and work-based learning, using data from the National Employer Survey (NES). It opens with a brief discussion of th e history of the school-to-work movement and the development of the Sc hool-to-Work Opportunities Act, which seeks to improve the preparation of college- and non-college-bound students for the workforce. The aut hors then present a review of the literature that focuses on incentive s for employer participation in these programs and obstacles to implem enting the programs on a national scale. The authors then report on pr evious attempts to measure the number of participating employers and c ompare these estimates with a recent analysis of data from the NES. Th ey find that, while 25 percent of U.S. companies participate in a scho ol-to-work partnership and another 40 percent provide a work-based lea rning experience, it is not clear how substantive such involvement and experiences are.