Interviews were conducted with employers and military personnel to obtain information regarding basic skills needed in entry-level jobs available to young people with a high school education. Information was also obtained from young entry-level employees and military recruits on the quality of their high school preparation in basic employment skills and the types of activities that helped them in the school-to-work transition. Indepth interviews were conducted with 135 managers, owners, and supervisors and 130 entry-level employees. Employers ranked 80 tasks in reading, mathematics, computers, writing, communications, interpersonal, manual/perceptual, problem solving/reasoning, and job retention/career development in order of importance. Employees indicated the importance of various tasks in their present positions and rated their preparation in high school for the same tasks. Open-ended questions were asked about types of courses, extracurricular activities, and out-of-school experiences that helped them succeed in their present positions. Interviews were also conducted with 45 military and 8 civilian instructors and 57 young recruits. Following two sections presenting results of the survey is a third section that provides examples of some existing programs in Colorado designed to improve the career knowledge and employability skills of young people. (YLB)