They are called "Disconnected" or "Detached", or in some places "NEETs" -- neither employed nor in education nor training. I have also heard them called "Opportunity Youth" because what they have lacked is opportunity. Now, this Pew Research Center Fact-Tank article ," Millions of young people in U.S. and EU are neither working nor learning," spells out the seriousness of this problem.
In the U.S. these 16 - 29 year-old school dropouts are eligible for adult education programs, but do our programs serve them well? Of course some do, and probably some don't.
Does your program focus on these opportunity youth? Do you have an alternative high school diploma program, or a HSE program that is focused on their needs? If so, please tell us about how your program serves them, and what success you have had with this population of young adults.
David J. Rosen
Moderator, Program Management CoP
djrosen123@gmail.com
Comments
The National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET) offers a wealth of information on this population, which may be of interest to program managers looking to attract these learners into their adult education programs. In addition to national level research and best practices for working with this population, the NCSET website has state level contact information for anyone interested in learning more about what is happening in your state with this population of potential learners.
Mike Cruse
Disabilities in Adult Education Moderator
michaelcruse74@gmail.com