Job Search and the School-to-Work Transition

Author(s):  
Alan M. Saks

The school-to-work transition (STWT) is a major life event for those who must leave behind their lives as full-time students and begin new lives as a full-time employees. Although much has been written about the STWT, the role and importance of job search has often been neglected. At the same time, research on job search has tended to treat the job-search process as an independent and isolated activity. In this chapter, I describe an integrated model of job search within the context of the STWT. It shows that job search is preceded by a career-planning and development stage and followed by a work-adjustment stage. A successful STWT requires students to engage in a number of behaviors at each stage which should result in numerous outcomes that are necessary for a successful transition to the next stage. The model shows that job search is a critical part of the STWT that connects the career-planning and development stage to the work-adjustment stage. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the implications of the model for job search and STWT research and practice.

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamin D. Speer

Abstract Using the NLSY’s weekly work history data to precisely measure labor market outcomes and the school-to-work transition, I document severe but short-lived effects of leaving school in a recession for men with 9–12 years of education. I find significant effects of entry labor market conditions on wages, job quality, and the transition time from school to work. In contrast to published evidence on more educated workers, I also find large effects on work hours on both the extensive and the intensive margins. When workers leave high school in a recession, they take substantially longer to find a job, earn lower wages, and work fewer full-time weeks and more part-time weeks. A 4-point rise in the initial unemployment rate leads to an increase in the school-to-work transition time of 9 weeks, a 16% decline in year-one average wage, a 28% fall in hours worked in the first year, and a 45% decline in first-year earnings. However, effects of entry conditions are not persistent and are largely gone after the first year.


1995 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 204
Author(s):  
Gerald LeTendre ◽  
Kaori Okano

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Hailee Baer ◽  
Kristen Welker ◽  
Carol Cox

BACKGROUND: School-to-work transition planning for students with intellectual disabilities should include community-based early work experiences to prepare for possible future integrated employment. Employers have noted job performance levels and appropriate use of supports as important for maintaining employment. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess work performance and support needs of students with intellectual disabilities attending a short summer early work experience. METHOD: A small group of secondary-level school students with intellectual disabilities attended a summer-long vocational rehabilitation program where they worked with a job coach at a work setting. Student participants and their job coaches rated their perceptions of the students’ work performance quality and support needs on the Job Observation and Behavior Scale pre-post program. RESULTS: The groups deviated significantly in their pre-assessment and post-assessment ratings. Job coaches and students both reported significant increases in perception of quality of student performance. In addition, job coaches reported students needing significantly less employment supports by program end. Student participants also reported needing less employment supports by program end; however, results were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: When both student and job coach realistically view student work performance and supports needed, the school-to-work transition can be improved.


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