This paper reviews issues in fostering closer connections between higher education and the workplace and summarizes results of a 1995 survey of 404 New Jersey employers concerning the knowledge, skills, and abilities that New Jersey employers expect from higher education graduates and their suggestions for improving college-based workforce preparation. Fifty-seven percent of employers said it was difficult to find well-prepared job candidates for positions requiring college degrees. Employers gave the following skills or characteristics as most important: integrity and honesty, listening, reading, oral communication, and written communication. Employer-suggested improvements for institutions of higher education included providing more experience-based learning and more solicitation of input from businesses. The survey also investigated the kinds of training employers provided their workers and methods for improving the training services that higher education provides to the workforce. Most businesses provided on-the-job training or private consultant training to new employees. Businesses desired more information about higher education training capabilities and graduating student contact resources; many felt that teachers did not know enough about working in the real world to properly prepare students. Appendixes include complete survey results, the survey instrument, and details of its methodology. (Contains 29 references.) (NAV)