Few states make effective use of their existing vocational education programs or funds for the purpose of attracting new industry. The opportunity exists for states to reserve some of their vocational education funds to apply on an ad hoc flexible basis to subsidize any local preemployment training programs that my be quickly set up in a community to aid a new industrial plant.

The major weakness of vocational training programs in labor surplus areas is their focus on serving solely local job demands. This weakness is not unique to labor surplus areas, for it is inherent in the system of local school districts in this country.

Planning of vocational education programs and courses is oriented to local employer needs for trained workers. All the manuals for setting up vocational courses stress the importance of first making a local survey of skill needs, of estimating the growth of local jobs, and of consulting with local employers on the types of courses and their content.

Furthermore, there is a cautious conservatism on the part of those making local skill surveys. Local jobs can be seen and counted, while opportunities elsewhere are regarded as more hypothetical.

While the U. S. Department of Labor has a program of projecting industry and occupational employment trends and publishing current outlook statements, there is little tangible evidence that these projections have been used extensively in local curriculum planning. The U. S. Office of Education continues to stress local surveys rather than national surveys.