Employers expect their employees to have basic skills in reading, writing, and math; speaking and listening skills; problem-solving ability; employability skills; reasoning skills; leadership skills; computer literacy; interpersonal skills; ability-to-learn/learning-how-to-learn skills; and collaborative/teamwork skills. How well do employers think vocational education is preparing its graduates? Results of studies conducted since 1985 demonstrate that employers continue to view vocational graduates favorably. The following recommendations for improving vocational education were offered by three recent studies: (1) more communication and closer collaboration between business/industry and education; (2) more and better publicity concerning vocational education so that its image can be improved; (3) integration of reading, writing, and math instruction into vocational instruction; (4) identification of and instruction in a common core of employability skills that are transferable across occupations, including problem-solving and decision-making skills necessary for getting and keeping a job; (5) more opportunities for supervised work experience; and (6) emphasis on applied basic skills and employability skills in secondary programs and technical skills in postsecondary programs. (Ten references are included.) (CML)