Vocational education providers need knowledge of trends and critical issues in order to prepare workers for the future. The context of vocational education and training programs is greatly influenced by social, economic, and technological forces to which they must respond. Among the most important social trends are the following: (1) increase in minority populations; (2) increase in nontraditional families; (3) aging of the population; (4) changes in life-style; and (5) changes in the culture of the workplace. Technological forces having an impact on vocational education include changes in skills and skill levels of workers resulting from technological changes and the transformation of the workplace into a learning environment. Related economic trends are the change from a manufacturing to a service economy, increased international competition, and growth of small businesses. Three major trends in vocational education have emerged in the 1980s: an impetus for reform; changing administrative and instructional roles; and access to vocational education. Within the framework of these broader trends are specific issues confronting vocational educators, in such areas as at-risk populations, teacher preparation, basic skills improvement, dropout prevention, program articulation, public-private sector linkages, technology as an instructional medium and as subject matter, emphasis on higher-order thinking skills, academic credit for vocational education, and vocational education at the elementary school level. (Includes 62 references.) (SK)