EQW
Policy Statements

"On Connecting School and Work" EQW Policy Statements #2 View The American economy is in the midst of an historic change, but the transition to an economy founded on new production and employment systems is neither complete nor assured, because—this policy statement argues—too many missed connections exist between employers and schools. To end this fundamental disconnection, this essay recommends that employers make grades and the reputation of an applicant's school important criteria when hiring young workers and that they create internships to bring students into the workplace.

"Making Good Jobs for Young People a National Priority" EQW Policy Statements #1 Format = Adobe Acrobat,  Size = 236k,  Download In a world of job rationing that increasingly disadvantages the nation's young workers—black and white, schooled and unschooled, skilled and unskilled—they are being asked to prove themselves in a series of part-time and minimum-wage jobs, just to have their applications for permanent positions taken seriously. Based on EQW research, this policy statement argues that, given the current redefining of national and budgetary priorities, making good jobs for young people must be placed at the top of the list. It recommends that policy makers create postsecondary education vouchers for young workers to be earned by sustained employment and to be paid for by the reallocation of federal funds already budgeted for student aid and vocational education.