NCJ Number
53088
Date Published
1978
Length
113 pages
Annotation
THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT WAS TO ASSESS JOB SURVIVAL NEEDS OF WARDS RELEASED FROM CALIFORNIA YOUTH AUTHORITY DETENTION AND TO DEVELOP AND TEST A CURRICULUM TO UPGRADE THE SKILLS WHICH APPEAR WEAKEST.
Abstract
A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF 145 PAROLEES WERE INTERVIEWED TO DETERMINE THEIR INDIVIDUAL JOB NEEDS. OVER 90 PERCENT HAD FOUND WORK DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF PAROLE, BUT WERE FIRED OR QUIT VERY RAPIDLY. PROBLEMS WITH COWORKERS AND SUPERVISORS WERE THE FACTORS MOST CLEARLY RELATED TO JOB LOSSES. THE GROUPS WITH THE MOST FAVORABLE EMPLOYMENT PICTURE WERE MADE UP OF THOSE YOUTHS WHO HAD TAKEN A COMBINATION OF VOCATIONAL AND ACADEMIC TRAINING WHILE IN A YOUTH AUTHORITY INSTITUTION. HOWEVER, BECAUSE VERY FEW PAROLEES HAD RECEIVED SYSTEMATIC CAREER COUNSELING, WHICH WAS REFLECTED BY THEIR INADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE OF HOW TO USE COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND HOW TO SECURE FURTHER JOB TRAINING, THE SURVEY SUGGESTED THAT A FUTURE CURRICULUM SHOULD EMPHASIZE TRAINING AND SIMULATED PRACTICE IN DEVELOPING GOOD WORK RELATIONSHIPS AND WORK HABITS IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING INFORMATION NEEDED TO SEARCH FOR AND SECURE EMPLOYMENT. THESE FINDINGS WERE USED TO DEVELOP A HIGH-ACTIVITY, LOW-READING-LEVEL COURSE COVERING APPROXIMATELY 44 CLASS HOURS. FIVE MODULES MAKE UP THE COURSE: (1) MOTIVATION AND ORIENTATION TO JOB SURVIVAL SKILLS, (2) MATCHING SKILLS AND INTERESTS TO JOBS, (3) JOB-SEEKING SKILLS, (4) JOB-GETTING SKILLS, AND (5) JOB-MAINTENANCE SKILLS. THE COURSE WAS GIVEN TO FOUR CLASSES OF WARDS AT TWO DIFFERENT YOUTH AUTHORITY INSTITUTIONS. TESTS GIVEN AT THE END OF EACH COURSE INDICATED THAT MOST STUDENTS WERE REASONABLY PROFICIENT IN WRITTEN SKILLS RELATED TO JOB SURVIVAL. ATTITUDE CHANGES, AS MEASURED BY WORK INVOLVEMENT SCALES, WERE NOT DRAMATIC, BUT SHOWED SOME SIGNIFICANT SHIFTS IN POSITIVE DIRECTIONS. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ATTITUDE CHANGES WERE NOTED WITH RESPECT TO IDENTIFICATION WITH WORKING AND WILLINGNESS TO SPEND TIME WORKING RATHER THAN IN OTHER ACTIVITIES. A FOLLOWUP OF PAROLED GRADUATES YIELDED ENCOURAGING RESULTS. OF THOSE CONTACTED, 19 OUT OF 20 HAD BEEN EMPLOYED OR WERE RECEIVING ADDITIONAL SCHOOLING OR TRAINING. THE MEAN TIME OF PAROLE BEFORE FINDING EMPLOYMENT WAS ONLY 14 DAYS. OF THE 14 WHO HAD BEEN EMPLOYED, 10 OF THE FIRST JOBS WERE FULL-TIME RATHER THAN PART-TIME POSITIONS. THE MEAN HOURLY WAGE EARNED ON THE FIRST JOBS WAS $4.17. TABULAR DATA ARE PROVIDED. VARIOUS SURVEY-RELATED FORMS ARE APPENDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--KBL)