While high poverty, unemployment and debt in young adults is a multidimensional issue, one factor is certainly inequity.  

There are two large labor groups that are entering the full-time workforce in the U.S. every year. Our high school graduates and our college graduates.

College graduates (our most educated Americans) have a tremendous amount of available support and services to find a job and launch a career. Career centers on campus, job fairs, career advisors, interview & resume workshops, company info sessions, internships, mentorships, exclusive access to college job boards and online tools, alumni support, etc… Through all of the available resources, many college students are able to accept job offers well before graduation. College recruitment is truly big business and is certainly a factor in helping college students successfully transition into the workforce and securing a quality job.

What about our high school students? Generally speaking, none of these services exist for high school students while on average 40% of high school graduates are entering workforce annually. In the U.S., the generally accepted belief is that higher education is the true equalizer and the key to economic mobility. Thus, throughout American communities and high schools, the majority of attention, resources and energy is directed towards matriculation into higher education. We leave our youngest, and often must vulnerable adults entering the full-time workforce to navigate their post secondary journey completely on their own.

It is important to take a closer look at this 40%. The large majority are low-income, BIPOC and have many barriers and challenges. Yet, with support of amazing teachers, nonprofits and other programs they overcome and earn their high school degree. A huge achievement! Then instantly, most if not all, resources and support (and for some any stability they had) immediately disappear yet all of their same barriers and challenges exist. While armed with a valuable degree, most high school graduates finish school without a real plan and lack of direction. Most are unaware of all of the occupations and careers that are available to high school graduates. They graduate without a resume, not knowing how to navigate a job search effectively, typically don’t have strong interview skills and lack confidence and belief in themselves.

In a country where college graduates are highly revered, high school graduates are already marginalized, stigmatized and undervalued. When you consider the lack of support towards their post-secondary journey, our inequitable society and that securing employment can be very challenging for anyone even the most privileged, it becomes very easy to see how all of these circumstances lead our very capable high school graduates to jump from hourly job to hourly job, being underpaid, underemployed, unemployed and overtime remaining or sliding into economic peril, poverty or worse. 
 
This is a huge gap in deserved resources and services for high school graduates and is certainly a contributing factor for the the high rate of young adults that are unemployed and living in poverty in addition to the economic disparity between our high school and college graduates. While working towards systemic changes we should be simultaneously helping this deserving population navigate the difficult environment in which they live.

Select below to learn about Community Hire’s solution, which is supported by a first of its kind study conducted by The Project on Workforce at Harvard “Unlocking economic prosperity: Career Navigation in a time of rapid change” published 11-17-23, identifying and detailing the need of career navigation services for high school graduates.