National Youth Administration Students

Students learn how to operate and repair machinery in a class sponsored by the the National Youth Administration in this photo from the early 1940s. The agency, headed by St. Clair County native Aubrey Williams, provided monetary incentives for children to remain in school and economic aid and training in professional skills to young people not enrolled in school.

Students participating in the National Youth Administration machine-repair program
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Students participating in the National Youth Administration machine-repair program