The extent of linkages of vocational education with Michigan's business community was examined through a survey of employers and labor union representatives and five employer focus groups. Of the 583 public and private sector employers and union representatives who received the questionnaire, 185 (31.9%) returned usable responses. The questionnaires contained questions on the employer's organization, industry, demographic/personal characteristics, and involvement in the following aspects of vocational education: curriculum, school-to-work, evaluation, and vocational student organizations. Vocational programs were found to have solid employer support in Michigan. The survey respondents and focus group members believed the following: employers should play a meaningful role in vocational curriculum design/development; vocational curricula should be ground solidly in industry-based skill standards; and interpersonal skills (teamwork, decision making, problem solving, sociability) should be taught along with technical skills in school- and work-based settings. Support for school-to-work initiatives and for increasing marketing of vocational education's benefits to students, parents, the general public, school counselors, and school board members was also strong. (Seventeen tables are included. Appendixes constituting approximately 40% of this document contain the following: survey questionnaire and cover letter; thank-you letters to survey and focus group respondents; and focus group questions, cover letter, and meeting summaries.) (MN)