Citation
Melendez, E., & Harrison, B. (1998). Matching the disadvantaged to job opportunities: Structural explanations for the past successes of the Center for Employment Training. Economic Development Quarterly, 12(1), 3-11.
Highlights
- The authors’ objective was to propose a plausible explanation for the Center for Employment Training-San Jose’s (CET) success in placing disadvantaged people into jobs.
- CET is a national program that provides job training for disadvantaged people and matches them with entry-level jobs. The San Jose site, the focus of this article, served a mostly Hispanic population, consisting of dislocated farm workers, mothers on public assistance, out-of-school youth, and ex-offenders.
- The authors reviewed findings from a recent case study on CET-San Jose and posited explanations for the program’s success. They attributed the success of the program to its ability to develop in its participants the skills necessary in the local labor market and become part of employers’ trusted recruiting networks. They also noted that CET-San Jose is embedded in a powerful social movement (West Coast Hispanic politics and culture).
Intervention Examined
The Center for Employment Training (CET) Replication
Reviewed by CLEAR
July 2014