In 1986, three neighborhood development organizations in Cleveland, Ohio, created the Westside Industrial Retention Network (WIRE-Net) to retain manufacturing jobs on the city's West Side. In 1989, WIRE-Net launched its Hire Locally program, which was designed to provide local business with candidates judged to be effective workers and help low-income people obtain entry-level operator and laborer jobs in the manufacturing sector. Hire Locally offers the following services to all interested local residents: a 2- or 4-hour orientation workshop covering employability skills, job search techniques, and job retention skills; individual assessment interviews and support services; job matching and referrals; and a 160-hour Basic Skills in Manufacturing course designed by WIRE-Net member companies and Hire Locally staff. Roughly two-thirds of applicants complete the workshops. To date, 39 people have completed the training program. Hire Locally has managed to place a diverse cross-section of residents in manufacturing jobs. Although Hire Locally's success rate in placing applicants in jobs has been estimated at 35%, its actual "success" rate is closer to 76% when participants' self-placements into jobs are counted. WIRE-Net is beginning to work with area high schools and colleges to develop the more advanced training. (MN)