DATA WHICH HAD SIGNIFICANCE FOR DESIGN AND DRAFTING CURRICULUMS WERE COLLECTED BY DIRECT OBSERVATION OF 21 DESIGN AND DRAFTING FACTORS WITHIN 16 SELECTED INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES EMPLOYING 869 DESIGNERS AND DRAFTSMEN. OBSERVATIONS COVERED (1) THE NUMBER OF DESIGN AND DRAFTING EMPLOYEES, (2) THE SYSTEM OF DRAFTING ROOM ORGANIZATION, (3) JOB CLASSIFICATIONS, (4) HIRING, TRAINING, AND PROMOTION PRACTICES, (5) PHYSICAL FACILITIES, (6) DRAWING MATERIALS, STANDARDS, AND SPECIAL DEVICES AND TECHNIQUES, (7) METHODS OF HANDLING CHANGE ORDERS AND CHECKING AND STORING DRAWINGS, (8) WOMEN IN THE OCCUPATIONAL AREA, AND (9) UNIQUE DETAIL DRAFTING PRACTICES. THE COMPANIES OBSERVED WERE ENGAGED IN (1) ELECTRO-MECHANICAL DESIGN AND DRAFTING, (2) MECHANICAL DESIGN AND DRAFTING, (3) CIVIL, STRUCTURAL, AND ARCHITECTURAL DRAFTING, (4) TECHNICAL ILLUSTRATION, AND (5) TOOL DESIGN. JOB CLASSIFICATIONS AND HIRING PRACTICES VARIED FROM COMPANY TO COMPANY. USUALLY THREE GRADE LEVELS WERE PROVIDED FOR BOTH DESIGNERS AND DRAFTSMEN. LARGER COMPANIES SEEMED TO BE MORE FLEXIBLE IN HIRING YOUNGER AND MORE INEXPERIENCED PERSONNEL, AND SEVERAL COMPANIES REQUIRED PREEMPLOYMENT TESTS. MILITARY STANDARDS AND THE AMERICAN STANDARDS ASSOCIATION DOCUMENTS WERE WIDELY USED. TWO OF THE 16 COMPANIES WERE EXPERIMENTING WITH COMPUTER DEVICES TO AUTOMATE DRAFTING AND SEVERAL OTHER UNIQUE DRAFTING PRACTICES WERE OBSERVED. ABOUT 5 PERCENT OF THE DESIGNERS AND DRAFTSMEN WERE WOMEN. MOST CHIEF DRAFTSMEN WERE SEEKING TRAINING FOR EMPLOYEES AND POTENTIAL EMPLOYEES. IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT THERE BE MORE INTERACTION BETWEEN INSTRUCTORS AND INDUSTRY. THE APPENDIX INCLUDES EQUIPMENT GUIDELINES, A PREEMPLOYMENT TEST, A DRAFTSMAN RATING GUIDE, AND THE OBSERVATION REPORT FORM. (EM)