This report describes student technicians who dropped out of postsecondary education courses before qualifying for the New Zealand Certificate of Engineering (NZCE). The exploratory study describes some of the characteristics and progress of the students who dropped out of NZCE studies and investigates the reasons for high dropout among students. The first part of the report focuses on student characteristics and progress as portrayed by records of 5,200 students who dropped out over an 8-year period in the 1970s. Student records contain potential influences on dropouts and student characteristics. This information includes entry qualifications, exemptions, length of study, mode of study, course options, and student registration. The second part of the report presents the more detailed information obtained directly from 267 former students who were followed up in 1981 and 1982. A questionnaire was used to obtain information on the work and study experiences of the students. Case studies of four dropouts are presented. The report concludes with a discussion of the issues that should be considered in planning a more comprehensive study of dropouts. The report includes 26 tables, 12 figures, an appendix listing jobs held while studying, the study questionnaire, and 26 references. (NLA)