The Brazilian economy is led by the industrial sector, which accounts for 34 percent of production and employs 25 percent of the economically active population. The labor force formally employed in industry consists mainly of relatively young males with little schooling. A large number of institutions both in the regular education system and nonformal sector provide vocational education. The main institutions offering nonformal training are the National Service of Industrial Apprenticeship, firms benefiting from tax incentives provided by Law 6.297, and independent vocational schools. Dissemination of new technologies in Brazil is slow, and their use is much less common than in advanced countries. New technologies are attractive to Brazilian industry for reasons of increased productivity and improved product quality. Reduction of labor costs is unimportant. New technologies in the machine tool, printing, textile, and construction industries have changed or created labor needs. Introduction of new technologies produces four different types of effects on job content and employment: job restructuring, job maintenance, job creation, and job destruction. Vocational training needs to complement conventional training with the specific training required for working with new technologies and train workers with basic education and training to use technologically advanced equipment. (50 references) (YLB)