A survey of manufacturers was conducted to assess views of National Association of Manufacturers members about vocational education, including its effectiveness, collaborative activities with vocational education, and manufacturers' suggestions for improvement. Findings based on the 775 returned surveys were that the most frequent grade awarded to secondary vocational education was a "C"; "B" was the most frequent grade for postsecondary vocational education. Over 50 percent of the respondents indicated their company benefited from vocational education. Most manufacturers (85 percent) preferred hiring vocational graduates for a job requiring less than a four-year college degree. Manufacturers' willingness to engage in cooperative activities was generally high. Work experience was most preferred as a form of collaboration; on-site use of company equipment was least preferred. Problems in collaboration included inadequate planning, inflexible scheduling, and poor quality training. Three-fourths of the respondents preferred both employability and job skills training at the high school level. To improve vocational education, manufacturers recommended teaching basic skills and initiating more postsecondary work experience. Suggestions for change included providing more postsecondary course offerings, increasing employer involvement in vocational education evaluation, and improving entry-skills training. Manufacturers disagreed with public funding for job placement programs and for vocational programs for nontraditional occupations. (The survey is appended. Conclusions appear in an executive summary.) (YLB)