A Cornell University youth and work expert is calling for employers of teenagers to obtain "seals of approval" before adolescents can work for them.

Parents should be as concerned about where their teenagers work as they are about their schools, because youth employment can have either profoundly positive or seriously harmful effects on adolescents, he says, referring to a major report issued today. The views are expressed by Stephen Hamilton, professor of human development and co-director of the Cornell Youth and Work Program, in "Protecting Youth at Work," a report issued by the National Research Council (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine.

Hamilton and his colleagues on the report committee call for the U.S. Department of Labor to convene "a prestigious group representing all affected parties to develop criteria for approved workplaces for youth, administered at local levels. These criteria would be for workplaces connected with school-related and publicly supported job programs, such as the School-to-Work Opportunities Act or the Job Training Partnership Act. Other employers would be encouraged to seek the "seal of approval" on a voluntary basis.

Working can be dangerous, insists Hamilton. "Tens of thousands of young people suffer from serious work-related injuries each year, with more than 70 dying each year," he says. "Also, working too much or in inappropriate places can increase the likelihood that an adolescent will engage in problem behaviors, substance abuse and drop out of school sooner than others."

He adds: "Employers should show not only that youth are working in a healthy and safe environment but also that they are gaining learning opportunities as well as work experience." Only such workplaces would be deemed "commendable" and eligible to employ young people in school-related programs.

Employers who participated voluntarily would be able to publicize their eligibility, says Hamilton, which would be reassuring to parents. At the very minimum, workplaces that offer internships, apprenticeships and other publicly supported education and training should meet certain federal standards, he says.

The report highlights the fact that low-income, minority and disabled adolescents are far less likely to be employed or to reap the benefits of a job than white, middle-class teens. And the jobs that low-income and minority adolescents do get tend to be significantly more dangerous than those of other teenagers, the report notes.

Years of research at Cornell has shown that good-quality youth apprenticeships, internships and jobs can improve students' career paths, by teaching personal, social and technical competencies in the workplace as well as self-esteem, says Hamilton, whose contributions to the recommendations were primarily about how to maximize the value of youth employment.

Hamilton's recent publications, with Mary Agnes Hamilton, co-director of the Cornell Youth and Work Program, include the guides, "Learning Well at Work: Choices for Quality" (National School-to-Work Learning Center) and "Opening Career Pathways for Youth: What Can Be Done? Who Can Do It?" (American Youth Policy Forum).

The report also calls for limiting how many hours students work during the school year, as, for example, New York state does, better enforcement of current laws and regulations, and better information, education and training to update and enhance current policies related to protecting young people in the workplace.

The report was issued by the Committee on the Health and Safety Implications of Child Labor, established by the Board on Children, Youth and Families of the NRC and the Institute of Medicine at the request of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The full name of the report is "Protecting Youth at Work: Health, Safety and Development of Working Children and Adolescents in the United States." It is available from the National Academy Press at (202) 334-3313 or (800) 624-6242.

Information on the Cornell Youth and Work Program is available online at http://www.human.cornell.edu/youthwork/ and includes research and program tools for establishing high-quality, work-based learning programs.