According to a 1981 study, the Life Skills Program that was developed by Saskatchewan New Start over a decade ago is still very much needed to improve the life situation of economically disadvantaged adults. At present, the overall rationale for the Life Skills Program is contained in collections of articles written at successive stages of program development by numerous developers who discussed the program from different points of view. Emerging from a British study of models for social and life skills development are seven models. These are the deficiency model, the competency model, the information-based model, the socialization model, the experiential model, the reflective model, and the counseling model. Features from all seven models can be discovered in the Life Skills Program. A critique of two sets of life skills training materials--a set of lessons developed at Saskatchewan New Start (SNS) and published in the "Life Skills Coaching Manual" and a set of lessons written at the Occupational and Career Analysis and Development (OCAD) Branch of Employment and Immigration Canada--indicates that while neither set of lessons can, in itself, fulfill the objectives of the Life Skills Program, they could and should be used together. (MN)