Intended for use by council and staff members as well as individuals in communities that are considering forming or joining an education work council, this report discusses the nature, function, and growth and development of work education councils and examines the collaborative processes that councils engage in. The education and work council concept, the Work-Education Consortium Project, and an independent study of work education councils are described. Analyzed next is the process of council formation, including the planning of goals and activities. Various council operations evolving from or included in the process of council formation are investigated. Discussed next are some of the external forces affecting council development. Following an analysis of the collaborative process, different dimensions along which to measure success in achieving community collaboration are identified. Summarized next are a series of recommendations pertaining to integrating council activities and planning changes, the need for council members to act as institutional representatives, the role of community leadership, and the need for councils to periodically reassess their operations. (A related two-volume report on linkages between education and employment and training systems is available separately--see note.) (MN)