The nature and the needs of the individual in the late 20th and 21st centuries will be influenced by a number of interrelated factors. Four such factors are environmental change, a changing society, population growth, and the individual. Each of these factors will play a prominent role in shaping future educational directions for the industrial arts student. Decision-making must be based on a holistic frame of reference. Since the goal of education is individual fulfillment, curriculum development decisions in industrial arts must be based on an awareness of and an interaction with the many environmental and societal factors that bear upon the individual. Background data for education and educational practices indicate that the following should be considered in decision-making: (1) a need to think in terms of alternatives; (2) appreciation of the importance of each individual's learning to learn; (3) increased demand for teaching of science, technology, and supporting subjects; (4) a wider and more effective use of the community; (5) preserving education as a life-long process; (6) greater concern for the development of the individual and personal fulfillment; and (7) an increased emphasis on the human needs of people caught up in a dynamic fast-changing society. Seven guidelines for industrial arts education in the future are also listed. (SP)