A research project was conducted to assess public attitudes and awareness of workforce training and education issues, with an emphasis on school-to-work transition. The survey was designed to form a baseline against which to measure changes over time in public attitudes and awareness. Data for the research were gathered through executive interviews with key stakeholders, a series of four electronic forums held around the state with 196 participants, and a random sample telephone survey of 603 state residents. The study found that the Washington residents interviewed were generally optimistic about the global economy and the state's place in it. Nearly three-fourths of the respondents thought that Washington is "well prepared" or "very well prepared" to meet the challenges of a global economy. Twice as many responding said that "raising the skill levels for more people" was most significant as said "keeping middle class jobs in Washington state," or "raising the standard of living for the less well-to-do." Most respondents thought that high schools were doing a good job of preparing students for college but doing a poor job preparing students who were not heading to college. Most recognize that new skills will be needed for the new economy and that career preparation should begin during K-12 education. They support a variety of ways to get more skills to more people, including public, private, and public-private partnerships. (KC)