NCJ Number
124829
Date Published
1987
Length
26 pages
Annotation
Teen Opportunities Promote Success (TOPS) offers a combination of paid employment and life skills classes designed to prepare youth to obtain a job or to seek additional education or training after high school.
Abstract
The program operates year round and includes a six-week Preparatory Training Program during the spring, which is mandatory for all high school juniors accepted into the program. Participants work during the summer or the school year and attend special classes that teach them career awareness, job search skills, and appropriate work behavior. The target population is students who have completed the junior year of high school, have been present at school a minimum of 80 percent of the time, and have maintained at least a "C" average. A survey evaluating the success of the program indicated that a total of 66 percent of youth who had participated in the program were continuing their education or training after high school. Among TOPS strengths are the effective bridging of the gap between schools and businesses, modifying the educational component to address the concerns of business and interest of students, and employment of concerned and committed teachers. Problems facing TOPS include finding ways to enlist new companies in hiring efforts, strengthening the student recruitment process, and attracting more nonblack students to reflect a racial mixture.