AN EXPERIMENTAL TRAINING PROGRAM TESTED TWO HYPOTHESES--(1) UNEMPLOYED MINORITY GROUP YOUTH WITH TRAINING AND REINFORCEMENT COULD SUCCEED IN JOBS IN MIDDLE-CLASS SETTINGS AND (2) HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES WOULD BE MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN DROPOUTS IN COMPETING FOR JOBS, BUT DROPOUTS ALSO WOULD BENEFIT FROM THE TRAINING PROGRAM. IN NEW YORK CITY, MOBILIZATION FOR YOUTH (MFY), BLOOMINGDALE'S DEPARTMENT STORE, AND A LOCAL UNION COOPERATED IN THIS PROJECT FOR 29 YOUNG PEOPLE, AGED 17 TO 22, WHO WERE LITERATE AT THE SEVENTH-GRADE LEVEL. A 3-MONTH TRAINING PERIOD CONSISTED OF ORIENTATION TO DEPARTMENT STORE WORK, SPECIFIC FORMAL SKILL TRAINING, AND DIRECT SUPERVISION BY A MFY STAFF MEMBER WHO HAD SUPPORTIVE, COUNSELING, AND LIAISON FUNCTIONS. ORIENTATION MEETINGS INCLUDED ROLE PLAYING AND INSTRUCTION ON HOW TO ACT WHILE APPLYING FOR A JOB. ONE IMPORTANT FEATURE OF THE PROJECT IS ITS SALARY-SHARING PLAN--ONE HALF PAID BY MFY, THE OTHER HALF BY THE STORE. THIS SCHEME HELPS TO OPEN UP THE JOB MARKET FOR MFY'S PROGRAM AND ENABLES MFY TO ACT AS A BARGAINING AGENT. THE SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT WAS SHOWN BY FOLLOWUP FIGURES--(1) 14 OF THE ULTIMATE TRAINEES WERE REGULARLY EMPLOYED 6 MONTHS LATER AND (2) AMONG DROPOUTS, ONLY ONE PERSON WHO WANTED A JOB WAS UNEMPLOYED. THE SIX TRAINEES WHO WERE SCHOOL DROPOUTS AND WHO WOULD NOT NORMALLY HAVE QUALIFIED FOR JOBS WERE EITHER WORKING OR BACK IN SCHOOL. (NH)