At the school-leaving age, some school-leavers go into college, and others go directly into the workforce. For children that go directly into the workforce, there needs to be a certain amount of academic preparation.
Firstly, decide on a future career. If your child knows that college is not the path they want to take, they need to have a good idea of what they want to do. A 10th grader should have a good idea of what it is they want to do when they are done with their schooling.
Secondly, once your students have decided on a future career, you need to map out a plan of action. They will need to spend some time becoming an authority in their area of interest. This can be done through reading, taking classes, and keeping up with changes and innovation in their area of interest through reading blogs and industry periodicals.
Thirdly, gaining experience. A good way for a teen to gain experience in their area of expertise is to take part time job and to get internships. This is very important because having this kind of early life experience in their sought-after field can take the place of a degree.
Finally, demonstrate skill. Your students should do something that demonstrates they are skilled enough to handle the job. If they are interested in making furniture, they should build an armoire. If they want to be a computer programmer, they should write a program. If they want to be an artist, they should have an artist portfolio.