Conducted as a research project in vocational education under Part C of Public Law 90-576, the primary goal of this study was to develop and test a model for the study of the process of job creation, job training, and job placement in the community context. Personal interviews with community leaders, agency representatives, and major employers in the four study communities were conducted by the author, using the key informant technique with 84 community leaders in order to gather information about the manpower development process from their perspectives. This case study approach was found to be useful in studying the interrelationships between job creation, job training, and placement efforts in the community context. The two communities with the largest employment levels also were characterized by greater ease of placement and greater reported use of training agencies by employers. Efforts to coordinate job training programs were found in all but one city. Job training diversity varied from city to city. The overlapping nature of leadership in some areas made program coordination easier. A series of 10 recommendations points up changes needed in current manpower development practices, specifically those involving vocational and technical education. (AG)