A 2-year project constructed a work study program for educable mentally retarded (EMR) high school students. The first phase developed courses of study, instructional materials, and teaching procedures; the second phase established a functional vocational training program in five high schools with approximately 150 EMR seniors (IQ range 53 to 78, ages 17-8 to 19-2) and had classroom instruction on occupation and work experience (two 60-minute periods per day) which included experimental use of the material developed in the first phase. The evaluation of the program and a followup on graduated pupils were done in the third phase. Of the 150 pupils, 52% were placed in full-time competitive employment, 32% were in training situations and 15% were unemployed when the project ended. Optimal employment times were early spring and fall. Instructional materials developed were a series of progressively more complicated job application forms, job descriptions of work for EMR's increasing in reading difficulty from third to fifth grade level, short work-orientated study lessons adapted for role playing, and an interest inventory and a commercially produced booklet on human relations both revised to fourth grade reading levels. (SN)