Ireland's vocational preparation and training (VPT) program was evaluated to determine its effectiveness in achieving the general/specific objectives specified in Ireland's national development plan, responsiveness to local needs, outcomes, and future challenges. The data collection activities were organized in three phases as follows: exploratory phase (examination of all relevant monitoring material and records/databases, meetings with key individuals/stakeholders, literature review); field work (face-to-face meetings/interviews with 19 principals and 39 teachers/course coordinators from a sample of schools delivering VPT, nationwide survey of 460 VPT participants, telephone survey soliciting literature/information on VPT in schools); and analysis and consolidation. Special attention was paid to the following: program implementation; VPT's responsiveness to local needs; impact indicators; certification; and future challenges. Ireland's VPT program was concluded to be maintaining high levels of contact with employers and meeting many of its participants' needs; however, confusion of definitions of the VPT program's various components made it difficult to ascertain VPT's full impacts. Localized examples of excellence were identified and incorporated into a model of good practice. (Contains 39 tables/figures and 18 references. Appendixes constituting approximately 25% of this document contain the following: interview instruments; glossary of main certifying bodies; and table detailing VPT provision and certification.) (MN)