Young people matriculating in schools will require career education and life skills in addition to formal education. Collaborations are required to reach youth through non formal educational programs. The goal is to prepare youth to successfully transition to work, experience job satisfaction, and be prepared for job flexibility. Pennsylvania's rural counties are not only experiencing the out migration of youth but also increasing unemployment and underemployment of working-aged adults. The strong link between employment hardship and poverty can be evidence in many of Pennsylvania's rural counties.
Unemployment is a critical issue for Pennsylvania's rural and metropolitan families.
As the level of government support for agricultural commodities continues to decline, rural communities will change as many agricultural producers leave farming for other types of employment. Agricultural producers and businesses may change enterprises to reflect changing consumer and world demands. To successfully navigate these transitions, educational training is needed. Today, more than 80 percent of U.S. farmers are dependent on nearly 90 percent of their income from off-farm employment. As the agricultural community faces the changing demand of remaining in business today coupled with the graying of Pennsylvania's farm operators, agriculture as a vocation is taking on a new face and new demands.