A project was undertaken in Humboldt County to collect information from large and small businesses in the areas of agriculture, mining, manufacturing, transportation, wholesale and retail, finance, services, and public information with respect to their employee requirements and needs. In all, 451 firms were surveyed to determine the size of the firm; expected job openings; the variety of entry-level positions available; preferred employee characteristics; desired training programs; whether the firm had worked with Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) agencies, the Humboldt Regional Occupational Program (HROP), or the College of the Redwoods; the hiring and performance of clientele from these agencies; and staff development programs offered. Findings, based on an 89.8% response rate, revealed that: (1) 22% of the firms had trained CETA workers and 20.1% had trained HROP clientele; (2) 32.8% had only one entry-level position in their business, 27.8% had two positions, and 21.6% had three positions; (3) 40.2% of the entry-level positions were in the clerical and sales category; (4) 16.2% of the firms provided classroom training for entry-level employees and 31.5% offered staff development programs; and (5) 54.8% indicated that their firm would participate in workshops and continuing education courses. The study report provides responses to open-ended questions, additional respondent comments, manufacturing firms' responses to economic questions, and the questionnaire. (HB)