This guide is intended to assist planners in developing and using labor market and occupational information when assessing the need for and planning occupational training programs. The first chapter discusses the responsibilities of various federal, state, and local entities for developing labor market information. Special attention is given to the role of the Iowa State Occupational Information Coordinating Committee. The three major components of labor market information--economic or labor force, occupational, and demographic information--are examined. The remainder of the guide deals with the following steps in using labor market information in the four-step process of program assessment/evaluation, resource assessment, authorization, and implementation or termination: list creation (gathering ideas for programs and translating program ideas into occupations); list refinement (reducing lists to the most appropriate occupations and grouping occupations into programs); labor market assessment (reviewing published labor market information, gathering additional information, and reviewing findings with an employer advisory committee), and program design (designing a curriculum and determining needed instructor expertise). (MN)