The Food Processors Skills Building project was undertaken by four Oregon community colleges, with funds from the Oregon Economic Development Department and 11 local food processing companies, to address basic skills needs in the food processing industry through the development and implementation of an industry-specific curriculum. Based on employer needs assessments, the project steering committee decided to focus on these seven curricular areas: reading, writing, mathematics, reasoning, English as a Second Language, Spanish for supervisors, and communication. Using the new curriculum, the colleges offered 26 pilot classes for their local food processing partners between November 1993 and June 1994. Outcomes of the pilot project included the following: (1) company representatives reported significant improvements in project participants' general job performance; (2) worker evaluations indicated increased confidence and movement towards personal and work-oriented goals; and (3) 9 of the 11 companies had classes scheduled beyond the project's duration or had expressed serious interest in continuing the program. Important elements in the success of the project were that the project developed a series of models for implementation; every company identified a representative to serve as a link with the steering committee, the colleges, and instructor; and the partnerships provided opportunities for continuous feedback. In addition, assistance was sought from the companies in marketing and promoting the programs, and the colleges were able to examine the long-term impact of college industry partnerships. (Includes a list project participants.) (KP)