This presentation was given to the National Academy Foundation 2014 Annual Conference.

This presentation explores the importance of centering gender equity in work-based learning. For many girls, work-based learning (WBL) can be a crucial starting point on the path to sustained training and employment and avoiding or overcoming poverty. We advocate for the recruitment of girls to high-wage non-traditional career pathways with targeted recruitment materials and non-traditional rolemodels and supporting girls’ retention with information about Title IX (Education Amendment Act of 1972) for school administrators, educators and guidance counselors.

Poverty is a women's issue; female-headed families are more likely to be poor and women overall are 41% more likely than men to be poor. 15.4% of women with high school diplomas are living in poverty, compared with 11.9% of men with high school diplomas.