Apprenticeship (registered)—A relationship between an employer and employee during which the worker, or apprentice, learns an occupation in a structured program jointly sponsored by employers and labor unions or employee associations. Registered apprenticeship programs meet specific federally approved standards designed to safeguard the welfare of apprentices. The programs are registered with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training (BAT) or one of 27 State apprenticeship agencies or councils approved by BAT.

Basic skills training—Instruction, normally conducted in an institutional classroom or one-on-one tutorial setting, that is designed to upgrade basic skills and prepare individuals for further training, transition to postsecondary education, future employment, or retention in present employment. It may be provided within the framework of competency in basic skills, including, but not limited to, reading, writing, mathematics, literacy training, speaking, listening, problem solving, thinking, reasoning, study skills, computer skills, and GED preparation.

Cooperative education—Situations in which students alternate or coordinate their high school or postsecondary studies with jobs in fields related to their academic or occupational objectives. Students and participating businesses develop written training and evaluation plans to guide instruction, and students receive course credit for their classroom and work experiences. Credit hours and intensity of placements vary with the course of study.

Employment and Training Administration—DOL agency responsible for administering employment and training programs for economically disadvantaged, unemployed, and displaced workers.

Job rotation—A worksite process in which students move among a number of positions and tasks to learn what skills and responsibilities are required to create a product or service, how their own efforts affect the quality and efficiency of production and customer service, and how each part of the organization contributes to productivity.

Job search training—A process that enhances the job readiness of participants by teaching them job-seeking techniques and increasing their motivation and self-confidence. The training may consist of job skills assessments, résumé writing, job-finding clubs, job placement services, or other direct training or support activities.

Job shadowing—A technique to allow a student to observe an employee or several different employees at a company location to learn about a particular occupation or industry. Job shadowing can help students explore a range of career objectives and select a career major during the latter part of high school.

Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA)—A DOL program for youth designed to improve employability; enhance educational, occupational, and citizenship skills; encourage school completion; increase earnings; and assist with transitions from school to work.

Occupational skills training—Instruction conducted in an institutional or worksite setting, but not on the job, that teaches entry-level skills or upgrades the primary/technical and secondary/ancillary skills required to perform a specific job or group of jobs in fields such as auto mechanics, health services, or clerical work. May include job-specific and customized training, internships, and preapprenticeship preparation.

On-the-job training (OJT)—Training in the public or private sector that is given to an individual while he or she is engaged in productive work. It is designed to provide the basic skills or upgrade the primary/technical and secondary/ancillary skills that are essential to full and adequate performance on the job. Typically, a training plan is established by the employee, the employer, and an external agency, if matching wages are being paid by that agency.

Private Industry Councils (PIC’s)—Entities established by local elected officials in each service delivery area (SDA) to provide guidance and oversight for job training programs. PIC’s are key mechanisms for bringing representatives from various segments of the private sector into the active management of job training programs. In some jurisdictions, PIC’s operate as local workforce development boards.

School-to-Work—A collaborative initiative between DOL and the U.S. Department of Education to help young people acquire the knowledge, skills, abilities, and information about the labor market that they need to make an effective transition from high school to career-oriented work and/or further education.

Service Delivery Areas—Administrative districts into which the Nation is divided for JTPA purposes and designated by State Governors to receive Federal job training funds.

Work experience—A short-term or part-time work activity in the public or not-for-profit sector that provides an individual with the opportunity to acquire the skills and knowledge to perform a job, including appropriate work habits and behaviors.

Workforce Development Boards/Workforce Investment Boards—Entities designated by States to oversee workforce development initiatives within a specified SDA. They may serve as the administrative entities for JTPA, Welfare-to-Work, School-to-Work, One-Stop Centers, and Food Stamp Employment and Training programs, or for a host of other authorized workforce development programs funded by Federal, State, local, and other sources. Under the new Workforce Investment Act (1998),¹ Workforce Development Boards are the designated entities that oversee workforce development initiatives for SDA’s.

Youth Apprenticeship—A multiyear program that combines school- and work-based learning in a specific occupational area or occupational cluster and that is designed to lead directly into a related post-secondary program, entry-level job, or registered apprenticeship program. Youth apprenticeships may or may not include financial compensation.

Youth Fair Chance—A DOL-funded program designed to ensure access to education and training assistance for youth residing in high-poverty urban and rural areas. The program provides a comprehensive range of services to disadvantaged youth who are not being served or who are underserved by Federal education and job training programs, enables communities with high concentrations of poverty to improve the opportunities available to their youth, and facilitates the coordination of comprehensive services to youth in such communities.