Educational and training programs have been successful in recruiting disadvantaged young adults because they also provide other services (e.g., food, money, and shelter); yet, client participation in the programs is often minimal. Client lack of utilization of academic and vocational training programs can be categorized in three areas. These are nonparticipation, nominal participation (enrollment but noninvolvement in the learning experience), and discrepant participation (students' inability to apply information to improvement or mastery of life situations). In addition to personal reasons for lack of utilization, organizational barriers prohibit programs from moving clients beyond the level of nominal participation, and clients participate only to ensure receipt of other benefits. Utilization behavior can be enhanced by the use of effective and appropriate counseling support, an emphasis on auxiliary skills, and a focus on relevance and application of newly acquired skills to clients' life situations. (YLB)