The United States is experiencing unprecedented investment in infrastructure, semiconductors, and climate careers, along with a surge in technological innovations and automation. It’s a turning point for the future of work and a signal that the careers of tomorrow will look vastly different from those of prior generations.
Young people are crucial to delivering the talent that these jobs require. However, more than 4.6 million youth between the ages of 16 and 24 are neither enrolled in school nor working a job, leaving them disconnected from both learning and work. Today, disconnection rates are highest for Indigenous youth (23.5 percent), followed by Black (18.9 percent) and Latino/Hispanic (14 percent) populations, highlighting inequities of access and opportunity.
Informed by the voices of young people and insights from future-focused workforce development leaders from around the country who serve youth every day, this report offers nine suggestions to engage these populations and better serve youth who are disconnected from school and work.