Understanding youth circumstances in workforce development programs: Opportunities for social work

Summary Youth who are disconnected from both education and work are at risk for a difficult life trajectory. This population requires policy and practice attention from social work. In this article, we report results from two research studies in the United States focused on the workforce development system serving the disconnected youth population. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 61 respondents in various geographic areas. Findings The focus of the analysis was data related to youth strengths and employment-related realities. Additionally, we examined the extent to which social work was reportedly engaged in this work. Respondents identified strengths of the youth population to include resilience, creativity, and willingness to contribute their perspectives. The described realities of employment suggest many challenges (e.g., employer reluctance, limited information on opportunities, and immediate economic realities). Social work was only mentioned in a few instances but in a positive light. Applications The findings have direct application for guiding further social work engagement in this practice and policy area. These applications include providing leadership to workforce development systems in the use of strengths perspectives, meeting youth where they are at, engaging in holistic interventions to address basic needs, and strengthening collaborations. Applications to social work research and education are also identified.