Data from the Youth79 cohort of the National Longitudinal Surveys were used to examine the acquisition of skills by young adults at the start of a job and as a response to changes in the workplace. The analysis was based primarily on a set of questions posed in 1993 to a group of workers between the ages of 28 and 36. It was discovered that approximately 37% of young workers were unable to perform their duties adequately at the start of their current job. Individuals who participated in learning activities at the start of their job typically spent 104 hours on such activities. Of every five young workers, approximately two needed to learn new job skills in response to changes (for example, the introduction of new equipment and/or repair procedures) in the workplace that had occurred during the year preceding their interview. Workers participating in training to acquire new skills in response to changes at the workplace generally spent 16 hours on those activities. In general, young workers with higher levels of educational attainment and higher aptitudes were most likely to spend time in learning activities in response to changes at the workplace. (MN)