Employment: Quality of Employment

Some evidence indicates that employment programs help youths secure high-quality jobs-that is, jobs with higher pay and more fringe benefits. Youths in school-based and residential programs secured better jobs than youths who did not participate in an employment program. Job Corps youths had jobs with higher pay and slightly more fringe benefits, such as health insurance, paid sick and vacation leave, and retirement benefits, although they were not employed in significantly different occupations than youth in the control group (JC). Career Academy students were more likely than a comparison group to say that their jobs gave them opportunities to learn new things (CA3).