In preparation for a conference held in Paris, France, in November 1994, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) launched a 5-year program that involved 20 countries studying the changing role of vocational and technical education and training (VOTEC). This report synthesizes 18 country reports on major recent developments affecting their education systems. The report approaches these issues from three perspectives: a historical analysis of recent reforms and policy debate; an in-depth examination of the objectives, policy orientations, and developments of VOTEC in certain sectors of activity (the construction and tourism industries and metalworking, electronics, and graphic arts); and a general review of the responsiveness and effectiveness of VOTEC systems as a whole. Among the trends noted by the studies were the following: the tendency to lengthen the number of years young people spend in school, the need for retraining throughout working life, the possible coming shortages of skilled technical workers, and the risks of producing "overqualified" workers. Issues identified include the following: the status of VOTEC and its relationship with general education, the status of apprenticeship, labor market training and youth training programs, industry's role in training, concern for quality, the need for evaluation, and the need for collaboration. (KC)