KAISER ALUMINUM & CHEMICAL CORPORATION March 13, 1980 The Honorable Gaylord Nelson Employment, Poverty & United States Senate Washington, D. C. 20510 Dear Senator Nelson: Thank you for the opportunity to file a statement with your Subcommittee regarding the youth unemployment problem. Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation believes this is one of America's most serious problems. Here in Oakland, California, where minority youth unemployment runs as high as 75% in some communities, we have addressed the problem through a work/study program called Summer on the Move. During the summer of 1979, a collaborative effort of the University of California at Berkeley, the Oakland public schools, and Kaiser Aluminum resulted in a six week innovative education/employment program for 120 Oakland High School students. This program is being continued during the regular Oakland High School year this spring. Experience with this program has given us some practical methods of addressing both the youth unemployment problem and inadequate educational preparation, the other side of the unemployment coin. We would like to share those methods with you and your Subcommittee. Accordingly, the enclosed statement is being submitted by Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation, in conjunction with the University of California at Berkeley and the Oakland Unified School District, with the request it be made part of your Subcommittee's hearing record. CC: Sincerely, harchash Speer Richard. Spees Vice President, Public Affairs Dr. Ruth B. Love, Superintendent, Oakland Unified School District 300 LAKESIDE DRIVE, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA 94643 STATEMENT ON YOUTH EMPLOYMENT FILED WITH THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT, POVERTY, & MIGRATORY LABOR UNITED STATES SENATE March 14, 1980 Submitted by: Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation in Conjunction with the University of California at Berkeley School of Education & the Oakland Unified School District Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation believes that youth unemployment is one of America's most severe problems. There is an entire generation of young people who cannot make the transition from school to work because of a lack of work experience and inadequate basic skills. You already know the dimension of the problem: - - a 40% unemployment rate among minority youth as high as 75% in some communities of East Oakland, California. an unemployment rate two to three times greater for high -- a track record of poor youth who enter the labor market - - high school dropouts whose unemployment record is 3 times 40% of hispanics who are failing to complete high school. - that is, 3/4 of the total unemployment among young people is accounted for by less than 10% of the population that suffers through long periods of joblessness. Match these problems with the changing economic future: a service-oriented, white collar and technical economy. Over the past thirty years, the number of service jobs has increased 120% as compared to 30% for manufacturing. In this kind of an ever changing job market, it is essential that our young people are self-reliant problem-solvers. We cannot -2 afford the luxury of only knowing one thing. No one can honestly tell anyone what they will face in employment except that it will probably be unexpected. How do you prepare for the unexpected? We must teach self-reliance; problemsolving, critical and creative thinking the How to think, not - the What to think. We must instill in youth the courage to face the unknown. There is no better way to teach self-reliance and adaptability than to give our young people a variety of real life/work experiences and provide them the opportunity to think and solve problems. During the 1980's, the private sector must re-enter the education, job and career development areas in partnership with the public sector. We would like to make several recommendations regarding the youth unemployment problem. First, public/private partnerships should be developed and sustained where possible in this area of education/employment. The private sector often cannot, alone, afford to mount and carry out these types of programs. The government, however, does not have access to those real life jobs, in real life situations that can provide that self-reliance, skill developing experience and education. Second, we recommend a program that combines a problem solving curriculum with work experience. Resources should be provided to secondary education to sponsor such a program via a public/private partnership. One example is a very successful work/study program called Summer on the Move. This was a collaborative effort of the University of California, Berkeley, |