In 1997, 78,644 Alaskans participated in vocational education (VE) in a public secondary school or university. Enrollments in secondary- and postsecondary-level VE were approximately equal. At the secondary level, 57% of vocational students were male. Alaskan natives accounted for only 15% of the total vocational enrollment at the postsecondary level. Job placement was the goal for most VE, particularly at the postsecondary level. Of the 1994 VE program completers, 77% were employed in Alaska in the year after their graduation, and 46% were employed in an occupation directly related to their course of study. As a group, VE completers earned 52% more than graduates with no VE. For Alaskan natives and female completers of postsecondary VE, the wage benefits of VE increased 57% and 178%, respectively. State funding was by far the greatest source of funding for VE. Several significant trends were affecting VE in Alaska, including the following: Alaska's Quality Schools initiative, school-to-work, welfare reform, and Carl Perkins reauthorization. The following broad themes for VE program improvement were identified through a review of pertinent documents and interviews with VE stakeholders: embrace school reforms; engage in the state's economic development agenda; and provide leadership and resources. (Contains 39 references and an executive summary precedes the full report.) (MN)