ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a new approach to helping young people develop the knowledge and experiences that increase their access to good jobs. It reviews the rationale, design and potential impact of the pilot programs. Students take only three courses in Year 1: Statistics, City Seminar, and Ethnographies of Work (EOW). Middle school is a time when young people often disconnect from and foreclose on science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) identities, so rich, engaging opportunities to maintain and deepen STEM connections, both in school and beyond, are particularly important. An understudied but critical aspect of finding a career is the quotient of social and cultural capital of the job seeker. The challenge for educators, consequently, is to better prepare all young people with "school knowledge," and with the experiences that will help them to navigate the social worlds of mainstream institutions. From the employer's perspective, hesitation to hire young people is grounded in a reality.
