How Do Jamaica’s Unattached Youth View Their Career Prospects and Life Skills?

How do unattached Jamaican youth regard their educational and employment prospects? We investigate perceptions by out-of-school, unattached youth, ages 14–24, who are neither employed nor attending training program. From a human capital theoretical perspective, and based on surveys of Jamaican youth, we explore the prevalence and variability of perceptions. Our findings indicate significant gender differences. We discuss overall perceptions in the context of Jamaica’s educational system and employment opportunities. We identify policy implications and future research directions with respect to institutional attempts to change the bleak outlook for lower social status youth.