A NATIONAL FOLLOWUP STUDY OF TRADE AND INDUSTRIAL VOCATIONAL GRADUATES FROM 100 SELECTED SCHOOLS WAS MADE TO (1) DESCRIBE THE POST-HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL AND VOCATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF A GROUP OF TRADE AND INDUSTRIAL VOCATIONAL COURSE GRADUATES FROM THE CLASSES OF 1953, 1958, AND 1962, (2) COMPARE VOCATIONAL COURSE GRADUATES FROM COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOLS WITH THOSE FROM VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOLS, AND (3) COMPARE VOCATIONAL WITH ACADEMIC COURSE GRADUATES IN TERMS OF RELEVANT POST-HIGH SCHOOL OCCUPATIONAL AND NONOCCUPATIONAL VARIABLES. THE NEW YORK SAMPLE OF EIGHT PARTICIPATING HIGH SCHOOLS WAS A CLOSE APPROXIMATION OF THE STRUCTURE OF THE NATIONAL SAMPLE. COMPARED WITH THE NATIONAL SAMPLE, THE NEW YORK GRADUATES' VOCATIONAL COURSE SELECTION WAS LESS INFLUENCED BY JOB OPPORTUNITIES, FRIENDS, AND TEACHERS AND MORE INFLUENCED BY COUNSELORS, BOOKS, AND MAGAZINES. VOCATIONAL GRADUATES OBTAINED JOBS MORE QUICKLY THAN NONCOLLEGE-BOUND ACADEMIC GRADUATES. THEY FELT THAT THEY WERE WELL-PREPARED FOR THEIR CHOSEN OCCUPATION, AND THEIR STARTING SALARIES SURPASSED THOSE OF ACADEMIC GRADUATES. THE GRADUATES WHO ENTERED THE SAME OR A HIGHLY RELATED JOB FOR WHICH THEY RECEIVED TRAINING WERE MORE SATISFIED WITH THEIR JOBS THAN GRADUATES IN SLIGHTLY RELATED OR UNRELATED JOBS. THE VOCATIONAL GRADUATES SHOWED A HIGH LEVEL OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY, WITH 80 PERCENT OF THE 1953 GRADUATES HOLDING FOUR OR FEWER FULL-TIME JOBS SINCE GRADUATION. ALTHOUGH 70.2 PERCENT WENT DIRECTLY TO WORK, THERE WAS A SUGGESTION OF A DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF VOCATIONAL GRADUATES GOING DIRECTLY TO WORK AND AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER GOING TO COLLEGE. A SUMMARY OF THE NEW YORK DATA IS GIVEN IN VT 005 266. (HC)