This report, a series of three background papers, was prepared as part of the Thailand Secondary Vocational Education Sector Study. The first background paper, "Intro Changing Workplaces, Changing Skills: Views from the Thai Private Sector on Work-Organization, Employee Recruitment and Selection" (Charles Abelmann, Lee Kian Chang, Pinchuda Tinakorn Na Ayudhaya), looks beyond schooling to where graduates actually go to work by examining how 20 establishments actually recruit and select workers in this increasingly global economy. To better understand private sector views on the issue of skills for competitiveness, the background paper is based on in-depth case studies of a variety of different workplaces. The second background paper, "Private Vocational Education in Thailand" (Richard Johanson, Werawat Wanasiri), reviews private vocational education and training in Thailand. Part 1 describes the system and its various components. Part 2 evaluates the system in terms of relevance, quality, and efficiency and identifies strengths and weaknesses. Part 3 looks at implications of the New Education Law (1999) on private vocational education. Part 4 discusses four policy challenges and offers some policy options for the future. The third background paper, "Changing Returns to Education in Times of Prosperity and Crisis: Private Vocation Education in Thailand" (Joshua D. Hawley), uses data from Thailand's National Labor Force Surveys to show that the educational composition of the labor force changed significantly between 1985 and 1998. Each paper contains data, notes, and references. (BT)