Today, school-to-work transition is seemingly broken among young people. And even though there are lots of jobs available in the industry including professional and business services, healthcare, financial activities and food services, unemployment rate among millennials has significantly increased.
So, why do young people not seem to get these jobs? According to Forbes, most American high schools have a college-prep curriculum, meaning the students who don't go to college or go but don't graduate often struggle in pre-college courses. Since employers need people with technical and work-related skills, which are not often taught in most American high schools, in addition to academic skills, the students have also missed out the vital chance to acquire the necessary skills for today's technical jobs. But what is school-to-work transition and why do we need to focus on it?
School-to-work transition generally refers to the critical socio-economic life changing period between approximately 15 to 24 years of age. It is a period when young individuals develop and build skills, based on their initial education and training that helps them become productive members of the society. Some of the most immediate economic considerations of this era include issues related to education and skills development, unemployment and inactivity, job search, labor market entry and segmentation, occupational matches, stable employment and adequate income, as per The World Bank.
Analyzing the school-to-work transition, however, is quite complicated since many young people begin employment while in school. It is also the phase where students migrate out of their communities, perform casual or unpaid work, or are easily discouraged from job searching. Furthermore, there are multiple pathways for acquiring skills and boosting education through the help of various institutional set ups, such as age of compulsory education, tracking into general and technical streams and formal and informal mechanisms of skills development.
Fortunately, there are also several ways to fix the school-to-work transition or the so-called "skills gap." As a matter of fact, there is a new movement to redesign American high schools so students graduate with both job-ready technical skills and strong academic skills. And since young people in almost every county lack the skills to navigate the modern global economy, there's really a need to combat this gap.
In an era increasingly dominated by youth, school-to-work transition is much discussed but no concrete solutions are readily available. Huffington Post also noted that the youth perspective is missing at education conferences, think tank panels and university debates. Thus, a collaborative project commissioned by the Citi Foundation and conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit surveys over 5,000 youth in 35 cities worldwide to give a robust and comprehensive insight at youth-focused policies globally.
"As the world becomes more urban, global and digital, city leaders have an opportunity to develop new ways to catalyze economic growth and foster a better quality of life for all their citizens," Citi Foundation President Brandee McHale said. "Investing in youth is critical to ensure the economic resiliency and long-term competitiveness of cities, but is often overlooked. We hope this research strengthens and guides the discussion about programs and policies that can best support young people's contribution to sustainable cities now and in the future."
The survey, "Accelerating Pathways: Global Youth Survey 2015," aims to help the school-to-work transition and is based on indicators grouped in four major categories including Government Support and Institutional Framework for Youth, Employment and Entrepreneurship, Education and Training and Human and Social Capital. Also included in the analysis are the city's GDP growth and local government policy to levels of youth engagement and even the amount of parkland available for recreation. And among the top cities in the overall ranking are: Toronto, New York, and Chicago.
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