A major objective of the study reported here was to assess how open the opportunity structure is for minority youth motivated enough to acquire vocational training. A second objective was to examine in detail a critical phase of the occupational cycle, the first few years in the labor force, which research has shown is critical for occupational and economic mobility. The study, funded by the Social Security Administrative, was distinctive in that the data were based entirely on the collation of high school records of graduates with Social Security work-history records. It was decided to concentrate the exposition to a single school: the High School of Fashion Industries (HSFI) in New York City. HSFI is a unit industry school. Unit trade schools are generally superior to multi-industry schools. Not only are their facilities oriented toward a specific industry, they are in close communication with employers concerning standards of training and job placement. By reducing the range of trades, it is possible to explore the data in much greater depth. Graduates from June 1956 to June 1963 were selected for study. Of 2,293 graduates in 13 curricula selected for study, the Social Security Administration was able to locate the work-history records of 1950 graduates, approximately 85 percent. This account dealt with the four core curricula: Fashion Design, Technical and Vocational; Trade Dressmaking, Vocational; and Garment Operating. (Author/JM)