Secondary analysis of self-reported data from 1,819 questionnaires completed by state vocational education staff in 47 states was used to examine the training and experience of current state vocational education staff in five federal policy priority areas: sex equity, disadvantaged persons, handicapped persons, limited English-speaking student populations, and economic development. Seven concepts were used to identity patterns of staff training and hiring practices in the data. Some of the results are as follows: (1) persons responsible for sex equity, disadvantaged persons, and handicapped persons reported a high level of training and experience and were employed mainly at the management level in state agencies; (2) 76 percent of sex equity personnel were hired in the last 4 years; (3) higher percentages of blacks and other minority groups on the state staffs had training and experience in the five priority areas; and (4) successful states had a higher level of effort in vocational education than less successful states, although states that were successful in economic development showed lower efforts in vocational education. The study concluded that the state staffs had high levels of training and experience sufficient to carry out federal policy initiatives, and it raised questions about the proper role of the federal government in directing how states should respond. (KC)