A STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN TO (1) DETERMINE THE NEED FOR TECHNICIANS, (2) DETERMINE REQUIRED COMPETENCIES, (3) DETERMINE JOB CHARACTERISTICS, (4) IDENTIFY OCCUPATIONAL CLUSTERS, AND (5) DEVELOP CURRICULUMS. PERSONAL INTERVIEWS, MAILED QUESTIONNAIRES, AND FOLLOWUP LETTERS YIELDED DATA FROM 288 OF THE 914 EMPLOYERS CONTACTED. OF 13,958 EMPLOYEES OF THE OHIO ANIMAL SCIENCE INDUSTRY FIRMS, 1,145 OR 8.2 PERCENT WERE AT THE TECHNICIAN LEVEL, WHILE 73 PERCENT WERE SKILLED, SEMI-SKILLED, OR UNSKILLED. THE GREATEST NUMBER, 68 PERCENT, OF ALL WORKERS WERE IN SOME ASPECT OF PROCESSING. OF 1,119 FULL-TIME AND 199 PART-TIME PLACEMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR 1964, 15 PERCENT WERE AT THE TECHNICIAN LEVEL. ENTRY LEVEL MONTHLY SALARIES FOR TECHNICIANS AVERAGED $431. EMPLOYERS PREFERRED BEGINNING TECHNICIANS NEAR AGE 27 WITH POST-HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION, FARM EXPERIENCE, AND FARM PRODUCTION TRAINING. EMPLOYED TECHNICIANS AVERAGED 41 YEARS OF AGE AND HAD 15 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND NO POST-HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION. OF TWO DIVERGENT OCCUPATIONAL CLUSTERS IDENTIFIED, ONE NEEDED TECHNICIANS WITH COMPETENCIES IN ANIMAL SCIENCE AND RELATED AGRICULTURE, AND THE OTHER TECHNICIANS WITH COMPETENCIES IN LABORATORY PROCEDURES, BASIC CHEMISTRY, AND BACTERIOLOGY. A SUMMARY OF RANKINGS BY EMPLOYERS AND TECHNICIANS INDICATED THAT IN A 2-YEAR TECHNICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM, THE PERCENTAGE OF TIME ALLOCATED TO SELECTED AREAS SHOULD BE (1) GENERAL EDUCATION, 25 PERCENT, (2) ANIMAL SCIENCE, 27 PERCENT, (3) OCCUPATIONAL EXPERIENCE, 18 PERCENT, (4) BUSINESS EDUCATION, 16 PERCENT, AND (5) SUPPORTING AGRICULTURE, 14 PERCENT. ALL EMPLOYEES NEEDED COMPETENCIES IN COMMUNICATION, MATHEMATICS, AND HUMAN RELATIONS, AND THOSE WORKING DIRECTLY WITH FARMERS NEEDED GREATER DEPTH IN SPECIALITIES SUCH AS ANIMAL DISEASES AND PARASITES, MARKETING, AND BREEDING AND SELECTION. THE COMPLETE DISSERTATION, "DETERMINING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND EDUCATIONAL NEEDS FOR ANIMAL SCIENCE TECHNICIANS IN OHIO," BY JAMES K. BAKER IS AVAILABLE AS 66-6226 FOR $6.45 ON MICROFILM AND FOR $22.75 AS XEROXED COPY FROM UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS, INC., 300 NORTH ZEEB ROAD, ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN 48106. (JM)