Vocational education is an important component of the bridge leading from school to employment for special needs youth. Studies indicate that special needs youth are not being adequately prepared for work. Unemployment and underemployment of special needs youth seem to stem from three causes: lack of interpersonal skills, lack of job-related academic skills, and lack of specific vocational skills. Besides vocational education, the other major components of the school-to-work transition are special education, vocational rehabilitation, Job Training Partnership Act agencies, and developmental disabilities agencies. The services available from these agencies, together with information from studies on the employment preparation of special needs youth, should be carefully considered in determining the role of vocational education in the transition process. Suggested roles include (1) assisting with assessment of interests and skills; (2) providing a setting for occupational exploration; (3) assisting with basic academic skills instruction; (4) developing job-related interpersonal skills; (5) training in clusters of vocationally related skills; and (6) providing work experiences. Proposed program models for delivering instruction in interpersonal, basic academic, and specific vocational skills promote a comprehensive approach to address each skill area. Typical forms include a separate vocational special needs class, regular vocational classes with support materials, regular vocational classes with resource teachers, and regular vocational classes in cooperation with the special education classroom. A nine-page list of references concludes the document. (SK)