Employment and Social Outcomes Associated with Vocational Programming for Youths with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders

Abstract

The authors examined the different types and amounts of vocational programming received by secondary students with emotional or behavioral disorders (E/BD) and their postschool outcomes, including graduation status, earnings, use of public assistance, and contact with the Department of Corrections. Generic vocational education and on-the-job-training had significant positive relationships with total earnings, whereas occupationally specific vocational education did not have any significant relationships with total earnings. All types of vocational education had inverse significant relationships with the dropout rate. Vocational education had no beneficial relationships with the use of public assistance or with contact with the Department of Corrections. The authors conclude that students with E/BD should be encouraged to have some type of vocational education in secondary school, although occupationally specific vocational education did not appear to have as many significant relationships as the other two types of vocational education.