In the summer of 1995, 371 establishments in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, were surveyed regarding their opinions of the quality of the local work force. The purpose of the study was to provide evaluation data for planning and curriculum development at the secondary and post-secondary school levels. Forty-three percent of the employers responded. Among the major study findings were the following: (1) nearly 9 of 10 establishments use informal on-the-job training, and 6 of 10 establishments use formal in-company programs to train employees; (2) half of all workers use computers at least once weekly; (3) county workers need additional education and training; (4) demand for training is highest in the areas of communication, management, marketing, computers, and computation skills and lower in the areas of technical or mechanical training; (5) most employers want college-level educational opportunities for their workers; (6) although most employers believe that their employees would benefit from additional preparation, most are generally satisfied with the quality of the county's work force; (7) more than one-fourth of the respondents have received work force training assistance from a public/nonprofit organization during the past 2 years; and (8) employers rate the quality of Bedford County schools as good. (Eighteen tables/figures are included. The survey instrument and cover letter are appended.) (MN)