A longitudinal study examined the processes by which craftsmen acquire the skills required for their jobs. Using data from the young men's cohort of the National Longitudinal Surveys, researchers examined the job training obtained by a sample of 1,525 young men between the years 1966 and 1976. Among the areas addressed were the following: the importance of informal on-the-job training, the ways in which those who receive no formal training acquire their skills, the comparative economic benefits of formal and informal training, and the existence of any significant racial differences in the training process and its outcomes. The study revealed that even in crafts occupations a substantial proportion of young men obtain their skills through informal methods. In fact, over 40 percent of those holding crafts positions did not participate in skilled, manual training programs, and an additional 30 percent received some sort of on-the-job training. Formal training does, nevertheless, yield a substantial wage benefit for those who obtain it. Fewer black craftsmen received formal training than did their white counterparts. Furthermore, blacks were less apt to have apprenticeship or other formal training offered through employers. Recommendations called for continued support for training methods that compensate for blacks' low participation in apprenticeship programs. (MN)