Future Orientation and Career Development for Culturally Diverse At-Risk Youth: Qualitative Insights

Adolescence is a pivotal stage in career development, when youth begin to shape skills and adult identities. However, limited opportunities for at-risk youth, intensified for minorities facing cultural and structural barriers, often disrupt these processes. To address these challenges, we implemented a school-to-work transition program in seven schools with 11th-grade students from diverse cultural backgrounds. It was delivered in two versions: Successful Pathways to Employment for Youth at Risk (SUPER) for Jewish Hebrew-speaking students, and Young People Succeed at Work (BALASHNA) for Arabic-speaking students. Interviews with 24 participants were analyzed using qualitative content analysis guided by social-cognitive career theory (SCCT). Interview data were analyzed and organized into themes using the six categories of the SCCT framework. The findings highlight personal and social factors underlying gaps between participants’ perceptions and actual experiences and their evaluation of the STWT program’s contribution to career development.