A project studied use of state unemployment insurance (UI) wage-record data for Program Year 1986 to assess the effectiveness of Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs. Eleven of 27 interested states were selected by ability to meet data requirements. These issues associated with the use of UI data as an assessment tool were explored: coverage, accuracy, timeliness, and confidentiality. Among the principal advantages of wage record data for program analyses identified were flexibility, capacity to provide longitudinal data, usefulness as a resource for net impact studies, and cost-effectiveness. A database containing longitudinal UI wage-record data and JTPA program data was developed. A comparison of wage-record data with post-program survey data found that on each of three criteria for judging data quality (lack of bias, precision, and consistency), wage record data were superior. An examination of pre- and post-program employment and earnings of JTPA participants indicated increased post-program earnings but declining post-program employment and a delay in increased employment for participants in remedial and basic education. Roles for wage record data were suggested in the context of the JTPA performance standard system: identification of groups of participants with limited employment experience and development of post-program performance measures. (Twenty-three references and 32 tables/figures are included. Appendixes contain data tables and lists of data file elements.) (YLB)