This first of a series of four interrelated studies reviewed the current participation rates of Western Australia's Aborigines in technical and further education (TAFE) courses, surveyed 101 students in the Aboriginal Access course to identify problems they had, and surveyed teachers in the Access course and in mainstream vocational courses to identify strategies to increase Aboriginal enrollment in TAFE vocational courses. More than 68 percent of Western Australia Aboriginal students in TAFE courses were enrolled in the Aboriginal Access course in order to gain access to employment. However, entry to mainstream courses via the Access course is extremely low (traditionally, only about 21 percent of Access students move on to those courses). Few of the Aboriginal students surveyed in the second study reported major problems, and the problems most frequently reported were money and illness. Seventy-seven percent of the students surveyed reported a desire to work. The largest number (27 percent) aspired to paraprofessional careers, and another 19 percent wanted to be professionals. Response rate in the teacher survey (third study) was 60 percent from urban Access teachers but only 20 percent from urban mainstream teachers. The major prohibitive factors cited were low educational background, low literacy and numeracy skills, and lack of self-confidence. The two strategies most often suggested by teachers to overcome the major barriers to mainstream participation were not directly related to the factors they considered most prohibitive. The strategies were enclave support to increase self-development, counseling, and the overcoming of feelings of isolation; and the promotion of mainstream courses. The fourth study reported the findings of a rural educator's workshop. (The document includes 10 references, the survey instruments, and summaries of responses.) (CML)