Earning potential and occupational prestige of career positions made available to economically disadvantaged youth

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the Corporate Career Demonstration Project (CCDP) at the University of Houston Central Campus, Houston, Texas, affords economically disadvantaged youth opportunities to improve their potential for employment in career positions with higher earning potential and higher occupational prestige than they would otherwise be able to obtain. Specifically, this study sought to answer five research questions that dealt with: (a) the earning potential and occupational prestige of the internship positions obtained by the Project staff; (b) the earning potential and occupational prestige of the internship positions obtained by the interns through their own efforts; (c) the relationship of the interns' sex, race, age, and perceived performance during the summer training program and the earning potential and occupational prestige of the internship positions obtained; (d) the earning potential and occupational prestige of the positions held by a group of economically disadvantaged youth not participating in the Project; and (e) the earning potential and occupational prestige of the entry level career positions employers intend to make available to the interns once the internship is successfully completed. Additionally, ten null hypotheses were tested at the .05 level of significance. [...]