The 1992 report of the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) and several other recent studies and publications addressing the nation's changing labor force development needs, particularly as they concern instruction in English language skills for the workplace, are discussed briefly, and five aspects of this issue often neglected are examined in greater detail: (1) the characteristics, diversity, and special needs of language minorities; (2) linguistic considerations of this diverse group, including time factors in second language learning, student readiness for content-area instruction (academic skills), and potential for mis-match of student and teacher expectations; (3) cultural considerations, particularly the differences in behavior and attitude patterns of "cultures of doing" and "cultures of being;" (4) implications of these factors for schools, specifically as they concern curriculum, program design, and classroom teaching techniques; and (5) implications for student assessment and programs accountability. Contains 17 references. (MSE)